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OPEN LETTERS 



PRIMARY TEACHERS, 



WITH HINTS FOR INTERMEDIATE CLASS TEACHEHS. 



BY MRS. W. F. CRAFTS, 

[SARA J. TIMANUS.] 

WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING SPECIMEN LESSONS AND CONCERT 
EXERCISES EOR LITTLE CHILDREN 




1 



"feed MY LAMBS." 



NEW YORK : 

NELSON & PHILLIPS 

CINCINNATI : 
HITCHCOCK & WALDEN. 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. 







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t »h Library 
op Congress 

washi NGTon 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S76, by 
NELSON & PHILLIPS, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at "Washington. 



CONTENTS. 



Page 

I. Organization 9 

II. Qualities and Training of the Primary Teacher. . 16 

III. Place and Programme 21 

IV. The Lesson 30 

V. Attention and Discipline 38 

VI. The Art of Questioning 44 

VII. The Art of Memorizing 56 

VIII. The Art of Illustration 70 

IX. Visible Illustration 80 

X. The Culture of Benevolence 95 

XI. Teaching Little Children to Sing 102 

XII. The Teacher's Social Work 108 

XIII. The Home and the Class 113 

XIV. The Teacher's Spiritual Work 117 

TWELVE LESSONS ON THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

I. The Child Jesus 126 

II. The Baptism of Jesus 129 

III. The Law 133 

IV". Power over the Sea 137 

V. The Mind of Christ 142 

VI. Parable of the Sower 147 

VII. The Widow's Two Mites 151 

VIII. The Withered Fig-tree 155 

IX. The Anointing at Bethany 161 



6 Contents. 

Page 

X. Jesus the King 166 

XI. Jesus on the Cross 170 

XII. The Risen Lord 174 

PRIMARY CLASS CONCERTS. 

I. Jesus our Shepherd 179 

II. Prayer 184 

III. Temperance. 188 

IV. Missions 191 

V. Christmas 195 

VI. How to Spend Christmas 198 



PREFACE 



T T 7HILE these letters have been written espe- 
* * cially for teachers of Primary Classes, they 
will be found nearly as appropriate for teachers of 
Intermediate Classes. Many of the chapters are 
adapted to all grades. 



44 Teach us what we shall do unto the child." 

44 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in 
Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them 
known to their children : that they might set their hope in God, and 
not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments." 

41 Is not the teaching of men a part of the divine gladness ? " 

" Whatever the ways or the means you take, 
Do it alone for the Saviour's sake." 

44 Only through prayer comes the blessings down, 
That wins them as gems for the Saviour's crown." 

" Whoso shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth 



44 It is not. the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little 
ones should perish." ■ • 

" From a child hast thou known the Holy Scriptures." 

" Feed my lambs " said Christ, our Shepherd ; 
Place the food within their reach ; 
And it may be that the children 

You have led with trembling hand, 
Will be found among his jewels 
When you reach the better land." 

41 The learned and self-confident Saul must become as a little child, 
asking 'What shall I do?' and reaching out his hand to be led, be- 
fore he can enter the kingdom of God as a teacher." 



OPEN LETTERS 

TO PRIMARY TEACHERS. 



I. 

Organization. 

Dear Teacher Friend: — Does your class number a 
hundred scholars, more or less, and are you perplexed 
to know how to keep the attendance of so many ; how 
to tell whom you ought to visit on account of absence 
or sickness ; how to learn not only their names, but also 
their souls' needs ; how to give each child a personal 
share in the lesson time ; how to get the interest and 
attention of all ; how to save the distraction and trouble 
required to hush a noise here and quiet a child there ; 
how to judge of the effect of your lesson upon each little 
heart ; how to make each child feel that you are his 
special friend for Christ's sake? 

I think I understand how it is with you. You stand 
upon your platform so that you may see every body ; 
you feel the disadvantage of the distance between your- 
self and the little ones who need, more than any other 
kind of an audience, the influence of personal mag- 
netism ; you long for a closer contact, where you can 



io Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

gather them in your arms, look into their eyes, and bring 
heart and heart in sympathy. Let me suggest how you 
may accomplish these desires, as far as the children's 
interests are concerned. 

Separate the little people into knots of ten, endeavor- 
ing to put those of like capacity together. While age 
may be some guide in this matter of grading, the most 
important consideration is a child's power to understand. 
It may be necessary to form more than one class of 
the same grade. It would be better to have less than 
ten in a class than more. 

Give each little group a teacher, who will have them 
in charge during twenty minutes of the session, in which 
time the attendance is marked, the collection taken, 
and specified portions of the lesson taught. Thus each 
child will receive in the class close and personal atten- 
tion, which should also be extended to the home by 
visiting during the week, especially in case of absence 
or sickness. 

One of the greatest advantages of this class system is 
found in connection with transfers to the general school. 
Instead of having those who are transferred scattered 
promiscuously through various classes with strange 
teachers and strange classmates, or even placed together 
under the same teacher, but a new one, the mature 
classes may be transferred at appropriate times with 
their teachers, thus keeping the relations of growing in- 
terest and affection unbroken. As a rule, I have been 
accustomed to transfer children at about eight years of 
age. This may suggest the inquiry, At what age should 
children begin to attend Sunday-school ? I think it is 



Organization. 1 1 

not ordinarily profitable for those under three years of 
age to do so. 

Your duty as Primary Superintendent will be to lead 
the whole class in prayer and song, (getting some one to 
sing if you cannot,) and to give the introductory exer- 
cise of the lesson and closing review, each filling about 
ten minutes. You should employ yourself, during the 
twenty minutes the teachers are at work, in intercepting 
all disturbing influences, such as tardy scholars, visitors, 
and calls of various kinds, in a manner I will describe in 
a future letter. 

By this method of subdivision the advantages of the 
large class and of the small class are combined, and 
variety, one law of childhood, is gratified. Harmony 
and unity between the teachings of the Primary Super- 
intendent and the teachers is secured by a definite plan 
being mutually understood beforehand. 

Are you saying, " This is all impracticable for me ? " 
Perhaps the very queries sent to me by one of my 
teacher friends may be arising in your mind, and that 
to answer her may be to reply also to you. She asks, 
" To superintend such a department as your ideal con- 
templates, would it not require an executive ability, a 
consciousness of power and skill in leadership, an 
amount of educated talent to inspire confidence in 
others, as well as a heart sympathetic and loving toward 
childhood ? " Skill in leadership would certainly be a 
desirable attribute to bring to the position — the best of 
every thing is always in demand — but it seems to me 
that an ordinary ability will develop the necessary skill 
to direct the workings of a subdivided Primary Class. 



12 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

The effort to do so will of itself produce educated tal- 
ent. Self-confidence rather than ability is the element 
usually lacking. 

" Are there not many persons who can govern and 
teach the little ones well, who feel that they are not 
qualified to become Normal teachers? " The position 
of Primary Superintendent does not necessarily imply 
the duties of a normal teacher, although the " ideal " 
Primary Superintendent could and would assume them. 
The next letter will contain more explicit words upon 
this point. 

" Can you always find persons willing to be teachers 
in the Primary Department?" Yea, I am persuaded 
there need be no difficulty in this. In several schools, 
where the superintendent had found the usual difficulty 
in supplying his classes with teachers, I have organized 
such a department, and, by the aid and counsel of the 
pastor, have found a sufficient number of suitable 
persons who had not previously been Sunday-school 
teachers. 

I know that my plan of organization will seem com- 
plicated to you ; but I am confident its working will 
not prove so if you will but give it a fair trial. Never- 
theless, I am disposed at this point to give a few hints 
relative to a large class under the care of one teacher. 
Probably the most perplexing question for such a teacher 
is, " How can the attendance be kept ? " All agree that 
it is essential. The calling of the roll takes too much 
time. Even when the roll is called, there will be many 
little ones too timid to answer to their names. Mean- 
while it will be difficult to maintain order. This cannot 



Organization. 13 

be considered in any sense, either for teacher or pupils, 
a profitable way of spending the one brief and precious 
opportunity of a whole week for teaching and learning 
the way of salvation. It has been suggested that an as- 
sistant might quietly look over the class and mark the 
attendance during the time the lesson was given. The 
objection to this would be that the teacher would never 
learn the names of the children ; and, indeed, I do 
not see how the assistant could do so, or how it would 
be possible for her to take the attendance without such 
knowledge. For one year I kept the attendance of a 
class numbering three hundred in the following manner : 
An indexed blank book was secured. The names of the 
children were alphabetically arranged in it, with the 
residences written opposite the names. During the half 
hour before the time for the school to begin I was 
seated at a little table near the door. As the children 
came in they fell into line, and as they moved by me in 
single file, each child stopped long enough to give me 
his name. While I was turning to it, there was a mo- 
ment's opportunity for getting acquainted. It became 
possible in a short time to call them all by name. 

W.ien the time came for opening the school an assist- 
ant took my place, and marked the few stragglers, who 
came late. It was, also, my custom during that year to 
make out, immediately upon my return from the Sun- 
day-school, a visiting list for the week. This was done 
by looking over the class-book and writing on a slip of 
paper the names of all who had been absent two Sun- 
days. Thirty was the average number of calls to be 
made each week. This method of conducting a Pri- 



14 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

mary Class, in contrast with the plan of subdivision, 
might be compared with the effort to do the work of 
thirty persons instead of setting thirty persons to work. 
But you ask, " How can you, as Primary Superintend- 
ent, learn the names of the children any better when 
thirty assistants take the attendance than when it is 
done by one assistant ? " A sly question ! You will 
have the law of association to help you. At the weekly 
teachers' meeting you will enter into conversation with 
the teachers about the children in their classes, and 
they will be so frequently spoken of by name that the 
task will be made very easy. 

I would not have you understand by the prominence 
I have just given to this matter of keeping the attend- 
ance, that I consider that the chief duty of the assist- 
ant teachers. I am aware that some primary teachers 
of prominence, who advocate the subdivision of the 
Primary Class, make only a business use of the assistant 
teachers, requiring them only to mark the attendance, 
keep order, distribute books and papers, and take up 
the collection. The plan of subdivision is, to my mind, 
thus shorn of its greatest benefits, namely, the close 
personal attention which each child ought to receive in 
connection with the lesson, and the opportunity for the 
culture and training of teachers. 

With one more thought, I will bring this letter to a 
close. Do not speak or write of your class as " The 
Infant Class." According to common usage an infant 
is a child in arms. You have none of these among 
your scholars ! According to law an infant is a minor, 
that is, a person under twenty-one years of age. Your 



Organization. 1 5 

class does not take in such a range ! The majority of 
teachers in the school might with equal propriety say 
they were teaching infant classes. In the second place, 
the name is displeasing to little children. Of all per- 
sons in the world, they are the most desirous of being 
called "big." Under the name " Infant Class " it will 
not be possible to retain them as long in this depart- 
ment as they ought to be. In the third place, the 
name " Primary Class " more truthfully and completely 
describes all of the conditions. Its highest significance 
is given in the following epitome by Dr. Vincent : — 

" They are the dearest of all. 
They are the weakest of all. 1 
They are the strongest of all. 
They are the purest of all. 
They are the most accessible of all. 
They are the most susceptible of all. 
They are the most promising of all." 

They are the Primary Class, then, because they are 
the first in affectionate interest, the first in need of care, 
the first to reach by influence, the first in hopefulness, 
therefore of primary importance. 

Yours in loving service, S. J. C. 



1 6 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



II. 

Qualities and Training of the Primary Teacher. 

Dear Teacher Friend : — Have you ever painted in 
your imagination a portrait of an unknown person, 
about whom you have often heard ? I am quite sure 
you have ; even to the details of stature, complexion, 
color of eyes, etc. I have in imagination painted your 
portrait as a primary teacher, and I want now to de- 
scribe it. If I have given it qualities that you do not 
possess, it will be possible for you to attain them. 

I am uncertain about your age, and also about some 
points of your condition in life. You may be in early 
youth, or at any other point in the journey of life ; but 
whatever your age, you have a youthful heart, a child- 
like spirit. You realize that the tree of life never bears 
the sere and yellow leaf; that immortality need not put 
on age. You may be to other children either father, 
mother, sister, or brother ; but to your own class you are 
the loving Christ-friend, who has faith in child piety, be- 
lieving it possible for the lambs to be gathered into the 
fold of the Church before they have wandered 

"Away on the mountains wild and bare, 
Away from the tender Shepherd's care." 

You may not have. attained to a thorough knowledge 
of spiritual things, but you are an earnest student of the 
truth. Your lesson is prayerfully kept in the under 



Training of the Primary Teacher. 17 

current of your thoughts all the week. Every thing 
which you touch does not turn to gold, but somehow 
all things which you see or experience do turn to 
lesson. 

You have a warm sympathy with childhood. This is 
shown in your choice of words while teaching. Your 
sympathy has led you to observe children closely, that 
you may learn their peculiar idioms to adopt when 
teaching. Thus your language has become simplified 
without being sillified. The child idioms are your pass- 
words to the child mind. I cannot commend, however, 
the habit of that primary teacher in a mission school, 
who made it a point to make the same mistakes in 
grammar and pronunciation which his pupils common- 
ly did, in order that he might show himself in sym- 
pathy with them. It was a decided error, although 
it came from a loving heart. Not the mistakes of 
children should be imitated, but their bright, natural 
sayings. 

There is about your picture an unmistakable vivacity. 
I might say of you as a little child once said of his sis- 
ter: "My heart is warm when I look at you." Your 
good cheer, I know, is not assumed, for that would be a 
counterfeit soon discovered by even the smallest child 
in your class. I can imagine that your vivacity will 
lead you to be playful with your little pupils, not idly 
so, but rather with a desire to lead the children to love 
what you teach them. With children particularly there 
is a close relation between the emotional nature and 
the intellectual faculties. Your purpose to lead the 
children to love what you teach them makes you ear- 



1 8 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

nest while you are playful, and playful while you are 
earnest. 

I see in your face a mildness tempered not with ill 
nature, but with determination. I should call the com- 
bination, loving firmness. If you were loving without 
being firm, you would become involved in many per- 
plexing questions about controlling your pupils. If 
you were firm only, how could you teach the mercy and 
loving-kindness of God ? 

If I have not in all points correctly drawn your por- 
trait, will you not strive to make it true ? 

You may also use this picture of a model Primary 
Class teacher to identify those whom you would make 
your assistants in case you desire to organize a class on 
the plan proposed in the preceding letter. The best 
teachers in the school ought to be in the Primary Class, 
for the impressions made are to have a longer influence 
on life than those made anywhere else, because there is 
more of life to influence. Mothers of little children make 
the best primary teachers. Hardly second to these are 
young ladies who are apt to teach, and whose Christian 
life needs the developing influence of Christian work. 

After you have chosen your teachers, you can secure 
for them a course in training by a weekly meeting of 
the teachers of sub-classes with the Primary Superin- 
tendent, either for the purpose of drill in methods of 
teaching, or to secure harmony of thought and purpose 
between the class exercises and the general exercises. 
In order to make a complete co-operation between the 
Primary Superintendent and teachers, it will be neces- 
sary that the division of the lesson, both in matter and 



Training of the Primary Teacher. 19 

lime, be understood by all. And it is desirable, also, 
that the hearts of all should be informed and enthused 
by conversation and prayer on the lesson. When a les- 
son can be secured which is prepared for a class thus 
organized, (as in the specimen lessons given in the Ap- 
pendix of this book,) not much time need be spent in 
studying the lesson, but most of the hour can be de- 
voted to normal work, that is, studying how to teach. 
If the teachers are inexperienced, this meeting may be 
conducted as a Normal Class. Specimen and practice 
lessons should be given, followed by discussion and the 
taking of notes, with hints upon various topics connected 
with teaching. Members of Bible-classes can thus be 
developed into enthusiastic, skillful teachers, and in the 
end find the work vastly more to their spiritual profit 
than simply the hearing of the Word. A working Chris- 
tian is always a growing Christian. It is very desirable 
that these teachers should also attend the regular teach- 
ers' meeting for their own personal profit in the study 
of the Scriptures. 

If you, as Primary Superintendent, are able from your 
own experience and reading to give normal suggestions 
in the primary teachers' meeting, that will be the best 
mode of instruction ; but if not, and you can secure the 
services of any person competent for this work in or 
outside of the school, let it be done. If neither of these 
two plans is practicable, let some good book be selected 
for study, and at the weekly meetings let there be a 
conversation upon a chapter or theme designated one 
or two weeks beforehand. Two of the best books I can 
recommend for such use are " The Infant Class," by 



20 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

Mrs. Knox, and " The Infant Class," by Charles Reed, 
M. P., of London ; or you might thus use my Letters. 

In the following list of books, which can be purchased 
at a trifling cost, there are parts which might be adapted 
to the primary teachers' weekly meeting. Those marked 
with the asterisk are English publications. Our Work* 
Groser ; Child and Book* Dunning ; The Art of Secur- 
ing Attention, Fitch ; The Art of Questioning, Fitch ; The 
Use of Illustration, Freeman ; Illustrative Teaching* 
Groser ; Through the Eye to the Heart, (with an appen- 
dix for Primary Teachers,) Crafts. 

A course of primary reading will be invaluable for 
every teacher in addition to the study of the normal 
text-book. Dream-life, by Ik Marvel ; Child Pictures, 
from Dickens ; Childhood the Text-Book of the Age, 
Crafts ; Children with the Poets j most of George Mac- 
Donald's books ; also, books written to children, as 
The Children's Church, Faith Latimer ; Peep of Day 
Series j Dr. Newton's Sermons to Children; Talking to 
Children* A. MacLeod. Children's periodicals will 
also be helpful to the primary teacher, such -as St. Nich- 
olas, The Nursery, and Infant's Magazine* 

The most important element of all in the training of 
teachers is the personal study of childhood. 

" A geologist never passes a cliff without noticing the 
formation. A mineralogist sees a rare stone, or a bot- 
anist a peculiar flower, as he rides rapidly along the 
road. A teacher of children should study with equal 
care the words and ways of every group of children seen 
by the fireside or the wayside." 

Yours, in loving service, S. J. C. 



Place and Programme. 2 1 



III. 
Place and Programme. 

Dear Teacher Friend : — Have you ever read Mrs. 
Whitney's " Hitherto ? " If so, you will readily recall 
the dream houses which the " Polisher girlses " built. 
Said one of them to Hope Devine, " I declare we've 
had it over so much that I can see every identical thing, 
and smell the grapes ; it's quite old in our minds, you 
see, though we've never got the chance to do it. We 
sit out here when it gets shady, and tell on about it till 
it seems real." 

" I think that's beautiful ! " cried Hope, her eyes shin- 
ing ; "you can have so many things so." 

As yet, my ideal primary class room is a dream ; but 
now I am going "to tell on about it till it seems real." 
First, you will want to know how it is situated. It is 
just as near the Superintendent of the Sunday-school 
as possible, where the sight of the children is a de- 
light to all others, and where the Superintendent can 
use them to advantage in the general exercises, and 
also where the children are in the best position to 
see blackboard work and to be interested. When I 
have seen a Superintendent try to enlist the atten- 
tion, and talk with a large class of little children at 
the back part of the room with the whole school be- 
tween him and them, I have often been reminded of 
the child's song : — 



22 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

" A little bird sat in a cherry tree, 
And whistled and sang ' You can't shoot me, 
Cuckoo, cuckoo.' " 

My ideal room has large folding doors entirely of 
wood. It has no glass at all, for we do not care to look 
out, or to have visitors look in, while we are saying our 
lessons. The floor is level, and covered with a bright, 
cheery carpet. By my side stands my little table, useful 
in many ways. My bell is not on it, for I lost that some 
time ago, and I do not care to get another, having found 
greater magnetism in the voice, to call to order or direct, 
than in the tongue of the bell. 

I am sure you never saw any thing more comfortable 
or cunning than those little cane-seated chairs without 
arms, and with seats only twelve inches high. During 
the introductory and closing exercises the little chairs 
are arranged in straight rows in front of me, but when I 
give the lesson to my assistant teachers they are clus- 
tered in groups about each teacher, who also sits on one 
of the little chairs, so that she may literally become as 
a little child. Such a cosy arrangement would not be 
possible upon a floor elevated by tiers, which has be- 
come a popular plan, although its popularity cannot be 
based upon comfort. 

There is still another advantage in the level floor; 
that is, the room need not be given up wholly to the 
primary class, but may be used for other purposes dur- 
ing the week. 

There is plenty of light and fresh air in my room, 
abundance of sunshine coming in and making us all 
glad. 



Place and Programme. 23 

There are pictures and mottoes on the wall, brought 
by the children to decorate their Sunday home. There 
are plants and vines at the windows which require a lit- 
tle of my attention through the week. They add much 
of that element of " at-home-ativeness " which I would 
have pervade every thing. 

Over in a corner is a small cabinet which has in it 
treasures for illustrating the lesson, such as my picture 
scrap-book, maps, blackboard outlines, etc. 

My blackboard is not very large, and stands on a light 
easel, so that I can move it to the most advantageous 
positions. 

The organ is placed at my right hand. Its sweet and 
sure tones enable me always to 'give the children the 
right pitch, and in other ways it is a great help to us 
all. 

" It's quite old in our minds, you see, though we've 
never got the chance to do it." But instead, (if it will 
be any comfort for you to know it,) I have taught some- 
times in dark, damp basements, sometimes in the prayer- 
meeting rooms with high settees. Only once have I had 
the little chairs ; only in two instances has there been 
a carpet on the floor. Sometimes I have used a door for 
a blackboard, and, indeed, have made the best of every 
kind of inconvenience, with promises and hopes of bet- 
ter things by and b) . I have tried to submit patiently 
to all these drawbacks to my work, being very decided 
upon one point, however, that is, not to teach my class 
in the general Sunday-school room. 

I firmly believe that my ideal room must contain some 
features within the reach of every Sunday-school, and 



24 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

for those who are building or remodeling, its complete 
realization would not be extravagant. 

You will find more reality than dreams in the fol- 
lowing 

Programme. 

I. Greeting : 

Primary Sup't. Jesus said, Suffer the little children to 
come unto me. 

Children. The Lord is my shepherd. 

[As a change for alternate months the following may be used :] 

Primary Sup't. They that seek me early shall find 
me. 

Children. O satisfy us early with thy mercy, that we 
may rejoice and be glad all our days. 

II. Prayer (by the Primary Superintendent, children 
repeating clause by clause — sometimes to be made by 
one child for all the rest.) 

III. Song, (all rising.) 

IV. Money Collected. 

V. Response. 

Primary Sup't. Come, ye children, hearken unto me ; 
I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 

Children. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of 
wisdom. 

VI. Marking the Attendance. 

VII. Introductory Exercise by Primary Superin- 
tendent. (10 minutes.) 

VIII. Lesson Taught by assistant teachers. (15 
minutes.) 

IX. Song, (appropriate to the lesson if possible.) 



Place and Programme. 25 

X. Closing Exercise by Primary Superintendent. 
(10 minutes.) 

XI. Closing Prayer. 

XII. Song. 

XIII. Books and Papers Given out. 

XIV. Dismission. 

In the above programme no provision is made for 
the Primary Class to take part in either the opening or 
closing exercises of the main school. Little children 
are apt to become weary and restless during the open- 
ing exercises, which are usually long, and thus the fresh- 
est and most valuable moments are lost. For this rea- 
son it is advisable that they should not then be present. 
But it would certainly be well for them to join the main 
school at the close, if they are given a part in the Re- 
view Exercises. 

It may be said in general, the place and programme 
should be arranged with due regard to the instincts of 
childhood. In adaptation to the " Instinct of Activity," 
there should be the greatest possible variety. Interest, 
attention, good discipline, and almost every other good 
quality, die in monotony. Very few changes, of course, 
can be made in the place; occasionally, however, the 
arrangement of the furniture and decorations may be 
varied. On the programme there may be variety not 
only in the order, but in the exercises themselves; for 
instance, in singing, sometimes let the boys or girls sing 
separately, or let the teacher sing alone ; and at other 
times let the whole class sing together. In praying, let 
the teacher sometimes pray alone ; at other times let 
one child pray ; or let the teacher pray and the children 



26 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

follow, sentence by sentence; or let the whole class 
engage in silent prayer; or let as many as will pray 
successively. A change in the programme could be 
made by singing and praying out of the usual order; 
by sometimes having the Primary Superintendent teach 
the whole lesson ; at other times, by having the assistant 
teachers give the introductory and closing exercises, and 
the Primary Superintendent teaching that part usually 
assigned to the assistants. One of the most restful 
changes that can be made is a change of position. 
Little people must move frequently, and it is certainly 
better that they should do it in an orderly than in a 
disorderly manner. Therefore, a wise teacher will pro- 
vide frequent changes of position. One of the most 
agreeable ways in which this can be done is to adapt 
motions of the hands and feet to songs. I shall write 
more about this in a future letter. 

Among the most vivid memories of my childhood are 
the spells of " fidgets " that used to come over me when 
obliged to sit still. I can liken them to nothing besides 
the nightmare transformed from sleeping to waking mo- 
ments. It is one of the greatest follies a teacher can 
commit to command children to "be still." "Never 
tell children to keep still " is an invariable rule with me 
in my teaching ; but instead, I try to keep every body so 
busy by a frequent change of exercise that the Instinct 
of Activity is fully employed. 

" The Instinct of Horticulture," which leads to so 
many delights in the child-world, is gratified by seeing 
plants or bouquets in the Sabbath- school room, and by 
the use of them, as often as may be, for illustration. 



Place and Programme. 27 

" The Instinct of Invention and Imitation " is, per- 
haps, one of the most marked characteristics of child- 
hood. Children are not only miniature men and women 
in stature, but in pursuits and pastimes as well. Moth- 
er has her family responsibilities and cares ; the little 
daughter assumes the same with her family of dolls. 
Father has a store ; the little son must have a store, too, 
with a chair for a counter, and toy money for hard cash. 
The Sabbath-school teacher will by the way of this 
instinct find an easy and pleasant method of teaching 
and controlling her class. It has been abused by some 
teachers, who require children to repeat things which 
they do not understand ; for instance : — 

Teacher, [reading from a book.] Adam and Eve lived 
in the garden of Eden. Repeat. 

Class. Adam and Eve lived in the garden of Eden. 

T. In the middle of the garden stood the tree of 
the knowledge of good and evil. Repeat. 

C. In the middle of the garden stood the tree of the 
knowledge of good and evil. 

T. The serpent tempted the woman and she did eat. 
Repeat. 

C. The serpent tempted the woman and she did eat. 

The most delightful exercise of this instinct may be 
found in the movement songs before referred to ; in 
looking at mottoes or pictures on the blackboard, or in 
the drawing by the children themselves when it is pos- 
sible. (See specimen lesson on The Cross.) In manag- 
ing the class do yourself what you desire the children 
to do, since it will be easier for them to obey by imitat- 
ing you than by any other way. Sing louder if you 



28 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

want them to sing louder; sit straight if you want them 
to do so ; be cheerful and bright if you would have 
them so. You will quickly see how powerful is your 
example, and how strong is the tendency of the children 
to imitate. In the readiness with which they will copy 
these slight things, there is a deep significance for you. 
They will just as closely imitate the unconscious in- 
fluence which you are exerting — the silent side — what 
you are as well as what you do. 

" The Rhythmic Instinct," shown in the love of music, 
may be provided for in the programme by frequent 
singing, and also by concert recitations, such as repeat- 
ing together the Twenty-third Psalm and the Ten Com- 
mandments, and occasional simultaneous replies to ques- 
tions. The movement songs are also gratifying to this 
instinct. 

" The Instinct of Investigation," which prompts chil- 
dren every-where to inquire into matters, even to break 
their toys to see how they are made, may be given de- 
lightful exercise by the frequent changes recommended 
in the place and programme. The state of curiosity as 
to what will come next will help to keep attention and 
interest. It should be the aim of the Primary Superin- 
tendent in the Introductory Exercise to arouse this In- 
stinct of Investigation, so that the soil, the heart, will 
be readily prepared for the lesson-seed which the assist- 
ant teachers will put in. 

" The Social Instinct " is gratified by gathering to- 
gether children of the same age in one room, that by 
example and sympathy they may be a help to each 
other. In a general way, the Social Instinct is gratified 



Place and Programme. 29 

in the prayers, songs, introductory and closing exer- 
cises which are participated in by the whole company. 
It is more perfectly done when the children, are gath- 
ered in little groups about the assistant teachers. 

" The Instinct of God-trust " is exercised in the Sun- 
day-school room by association with things which are 
remindful of God, such as the place itself, a part of the 
church, the mottoes on the walls, and the plants in the 
window. The employments should also be remindful of 
God ; the prayers and songs full of devotional spirit ; 
the lesson, not the reading of some cunningly devised 
fable, but an earnest and simple presentation of God's 
own truth. 

Let there be harmony and unity in all things pertain- 
ing to the place and programme : harmony between the 
child-nature and its surroundings ; harmony between 
the surroundings and the occasion ; harmony between 
young hearts and the great heart of God ; unity in mak- 
ing every thing contribute toward this high end, exclud- 
ing all that simply answers or entertains. 

Yours in loving service, S. J. C. 



30 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



IV. 

The Lesson. 

Dear Teacher Friend : — Is it not deplorable, that 
after visiting a large number of Primary Classes and 
hearing from others, that one should be obliged to say, 
" It is the exception and not the rule to find the In- 
ternational Lessons taught to small children ?" Do you 
ask how the teachers are occupied and what the chil- 
dren do ? Some you would find clinging to the use of 
the Catechism, asking still, " Who was the first man ? " 
" Who was the first woman ? " etc. Others use question 
books that have gone completely out of print ; it is 
astonishing how long a few old copies will last. The 
lesson in these is usually marked by two crosses. One 
Sunday I was asked to take a class and " hear a lesson " 
which had thus been assigned. They all said " they 
knew their lesson by heart." So I proceeded to ask 
the questions in my own way, making slight changes in 
the language. The result was nobody could " say their 
lessons ; " but when I afterward followed closely the 
question book the answers were rattled off unhesitat- 
ingly. Then I endeavored to show them how those 
questions might be changed and receive the same an- 
swers, which caused a new light to break into all their 
faces. 

Other teachers you would find who use a series of 
lessons selected by an indefinite somebody, but which 



The Lesson. 31 

they know to be. good, because they have tried them for 
thirty years ! They thus deprive themselves of helps 
and shut themselves in the darkness by excluding the 
light and magnetism which is shed abroad in the Chris- 
tian world through the International Lessons. 

Other teachers occupy themselves in " hearing verses." 
Under such circumstances you would probably find most 
of the children occupied with making mischief, and the 
teacher quite engaged in ''trying to keep them still." 

Several years ago I spent a Sunday in a Primary 
Class where the children were taught to read from a sort 
of religious primer. Great efforts were expended to 
have them read and spell such sentences as *' Sin is 
woe." The memory of those torn and soiled books is 
very vivid. They were in no way suggestive of the 
clean hands and pure heart which are a part of the 
religion undefiled before God. 

You know how very attractive the singing of little 
children is. You would find that some classes are 
taught to do little else than sing. Worst of all, you 
would find some teachers, and not a small number, 
occupying the entire hour in relating those frivolous, 
fascinating tales and fairy stories, so readily obtained 
from the columns of our newspapers, and the works of 
fiction with which our Sabbath-school libraries abound. 
To these the pupils listen with the utmost eagerness, 
the earnest look and changing tone betraying the 
ascendency which these narratives are gaining over 
their susceptible minds. One teacher said, 

" It keeps me busy during the week hunting up incidents to amuse 
my little boys and girls, as they cannot understand Bible truths yet." 



32 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

What a mistake ! No books so well adapted even to 
the children as the Bible : and no truths will interest 
them like the truths of the Gospel. 

Why are not the International Lessons in general use in 
primary departments ? Teachers reply, " It is not pos- 
sible to teach them to little children." The aim of the 
Lesson Committee is not to select the hard things of 
the Bible to confound the wise, but rather such portions 
as contain both " the strong meat " and " the sincere 
milk." Where could one find more attractive stories 
than those about Joseph, Moses, Joshua, and the Israel- 
ites ? Or what could so touch the heart of the youngest 
child as the incidents in the life of One who regards 
them with a love unspeakable? An experience of five 
years in writing the International Lessons adapted to 
the primary department and in teaching those same les- 
sons has proved the possibility to my entire satisfaction. 
And I have seen the most gracious results upon the 
children, and upon other portions of the school as well, 
who, while listening to a review of the lesson, were 
astonished that out of the mouth of babes praise should 
be perfected, and were thus themselves stirred to a new 
interest in the truth. So much and more might be said 
about the matter of the lesson ; but lest my letter should 
grow too long, we will now consider the manner of teach- 
ing the lesson. Miss Lathbury says, in the Sunday- 
School Journal : — 

" There is nothing prettier than a bed of pansies, ex- 
cept an infant class. The class I have in mind num- 
bered about one hundred, and looked as if a summer 
wind were passing over the pansy-bed, there was such a 



The Lesson. 33 

restless bobbing of little heads. There stood the lady 
teacher before them., giving the most charming of talks. 
But she did not hold the eyes of the children. She 
tried to draw them with questions, but they answered 
without looking at her. She interspersed bits of song, 
but all did not sing. I was ready to say, ' What can in- 
terest children if this doesn't?' But I saw the diffi- 
culty. The teacher talked with her voice, but not with 
her face ; that was unsympathetic, expressionless, cold. 

" In the progress of the lesson the teacher related an 
incident in which she must have had a personal interest, 
for the color came into her cheeks, and her whole face 
was full of feeling. I looked at the children, and I saw 
she had gained them. They were all daisies now, look- 
ing straight at the sun. 

" I wish the teacher could have held them through 
the lesson ; but when the light died out of her face the 
daisies all became swaying pansies again." 

The import of this is that a teacher must have an in- 
terested, sympathetic face, which shall be the expres- 
sion of a deep and personal interest in Christ. 

I want to give you also a bright bit from Dr. Ormis- 
ton, which contains a helpful hint : " When a boy I 
amused myself, as is common, in hunting birds' nests. 
In order to feed the callow young birds it was necessary 
to chirp to them like the old bird to get them to open 
their mouths to receive the food. I found that chirping 
right was very difficult. So you infant-class teachers 
will find it very difficult to chirp right. The mother- 
bird feeling has to be pretty strong in one in order to 
get the knack of that chirp. But when one has that 



34 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

there is no difficulty whatever." That same mother-bird 
feeling in the heart of the mother is always suggesting 
some little gift or service for the child, though not as a 
reward, and so it should be in the heart of the teacher.* 
A gift connected with the lesson would be most appro- 
priate — the golden text given in some attractive form 
which would induce the child to learn it. A few Sun- 
days ago each child in our class was given a paper cross 
on which was written, " I have set before you life and 
death, blessing and cursing." Longer ago we gave 
small paper flags fastened on little sticks, on one side 
of which was written " Jehovah-nissi," on the other, 
" When I cry unto thee, then will mine enemies turn 
back." (For other examples, see specimen lessons.) 
Just as the children put such little gifts carefully away 
in their treasure boxes, so God's words on them shall be 
counted among their heart treasures. 

Almost unconsciously, one may become the slave of 
written or printed preparations of the lesson. When a 
mother holds an earnest conversation with her child she 
does not read something which she has prepared before- 
hand, although she has pondered the matter in her heart 
and has determined what she will say at the time she 
talks out of the abundance of her heart. As teacher- 
mothers, let us then accustom ourselves to teach with- 
out a paper, or book of any kind save the Bible. Mr. 
Moody has well said, that a question book, or lesson leaf 
in a class, are like a lump of ice between two lovers. 
Our lessons should be learned so well before coming to 
the class that we should not need any helps to memory. 

* See gift suggested in specimen lesson on " The Mind of Christ." 



The Lesson. 35 

Thus are fulfilled the two best conditions of the teacher 
as given by Dr. Vincent, that is, a fixed purpose, and 
an emancipated eye. 

One of the most essential things to do in teaching the 
lesson is to get the children to think. " He has no opin- 
ion of his own," we sometimes hear said of some one, 
The same might be said of many people by whom opin- 
ions are accepted rather than received. And oftentimes 
what we call " changing the mind " is simply the first 
thoughtful decision. But do you think it is safe to 
teach children the religion of Christ, a matter which 
must decide their soul's eternal welfare, in such a manner 
that a thoughtful awakening may open the way to doubt ? 
Should not the understanding be converted as well as 
the heart ? One of the best rules ever given to 
teachers is, " Never tell a child what you can lead 
him (by questions and illustrations) to discover for him- 
self." 

We will take away half the pleasure of the lesson if 
we tell children every thing we want them to know. 
Let us for a moment try to put ourselves in their places. 
It is a great delight to visit a green-house in the winter; 
the fragrant air, the bright blossoms, the genial warmth 
and springing life offering a wide contrast to the winter- 
land outside. Which should we prefer, to be invited 
by a friend to pass through the green-house, or to be 
left outside and be told simply of the beauty within ? 
I am thinking that we are in danger of taking all the 
gladsomeness out of the child-heart by depriving it of 
the sweets which it might gather in the genial summer- 
land of thought. 



2,6 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

Perhaps you would ask now, How can children be 
aroused to think ? Make an interrogation point out of 
every child in the class. " The Instinct of Investigation" 
is the teacher's most available point in the child's na- 
ture. To teach a class of children without arousing this 
instinct, might be compared to eating withered radishes 
which have lost all their pungency and fresh crispness. 
Yes, but here S , by my side, says, " You have un- 
bolted one door only to lead to another as closely 
locked. How are we to arouse curiosity ? " I will tell 
you, as I did her, of a missionary talk which I heard a 
speaker give to a company of children. After talking 
for a few moments about missionaries, he said that he. 
had brought a large number of missionaries with him. 
Would they like to see them? — they were under his 
handkerchief on the table. At that point I saw con- 
siderable unavailing peeping done, but the " interroga- 
tion points " were left to grow still more full of wonder 
while the great good which missionaries do was told 
them. Then the handkerchief was lifted and a pile of 
pennies was seen. The children were then urged to 
send many such missionaries every Sunday. This 
same curious interest will be a great help to the 
memory, and surely if there is any thing we should seek 
to do it is to give the lesson in such a way that it will be 
remembered. We should not be content with reviewing 
lessons once each quarter, or each month, but rather 
review from week to week, and indeed no lesson is well 
taught that is not largely made up of reviews of parts 
already given. " Never give a piece of information 
without asking for it again." Have you not had gratify- 



The Lesson. 37 

ing proof of your success in teaching a lesson thorough- 
ly by hearing a parent tell you that the child day 
after day repeated your precepts in his play Sunday- 
school ? 

There are yet four other points which occur to me 
about this subject of the lesson. I will simply state 
them, and leave their elaboration to your own thoughts. 

1. Seek to make one definite point rather than to teach 
the entire lesson. 

2. Study to make a variety in method. 

3. Learn a great deal more about the lesson than you 
expect to teach. 

4. Make the lesson contribute to the child's love of the 
Bible. I must add a few words upon this point. It is a 
sad fact that there is no book so neglected by Chris- 
tians as the Bible. A class of Christian ladies of aver- 
age intelligence were unable to answer the question, 
u What was the tabernacle ? " One thought it was a 
pile of stones. Would there be such deplorable igno- 
rance if there were a greater interest in the Bible among 
Christians? It has been truthfully said that if rightly 
taught or read to a child the Bible would prove the 
most attractive of story books. In my own teaching, 
when the interest of the class has been raised to the 
most intense degree, I make it a rule to open the 
blessed book and connect it with what they are hearing 
by reading a part of the story. To cherish a love for 
God's book is the most important work a teacher has 
to do, next to the conversion of the child's heart. 

Yours, in loving service, S. J. C. 



38 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

V. 

Attention and Discipline. 

Dear Teacher Friend : — I have made a visit to Miss 
T.'s class, having heard much of her excellent methods 
of securing attention and good order. Knowing so 
well the great interest you have in your work, and 
knowing, too, your desire to go on to perfection in the art 
of teaching, I want to give you the advantage of what I 
saw and heard. 

When Miss T. entered the room the assistant teach- 
ers and the children were all in their places. She came 
before them with a bustling, cordial manner, laying her 
Bible on the little table. For the moment every eye 
was upon her, and before those eyes had time to wander 
and carry the attention with them she had commenced 
the exercises. It seemed as if she had swept the 
" pansy-bed," and held them all in a beautiful bouquet 
close to her heart. After the " introductory exercise," 
the lesson was given to the assistant teachers. Each 
little group of teacher and class put their heads so close 
together that you could almost have put a bushel basket 
over them. 

I said to myself, I do hope no tardy ones will break 
up those interested little circles. Just then the door 
opened, and in came two little tots. Miss T. gently 
intercepted them, and gave them seats so near me that 
I heard her ask, "What has made my little friends late 



Attention and Discipline. 39 

this morning?" "Breakfast wasn't in time," was sob- 
bed out. " Look over to your class and see how hard 
they are thinking and talking about the lesson. If you 
go there they will forget about the lesson and talk 
about you; will you go there, or stay here?" "Stay 
here." I noticed that these children were allowed to 
take their places in the class just before the closing 
exercise, in which Miss T. then assumed full charge 
with a manner that indicated such perfect confidence in 
the children's disposition to do right that for them to 
have done otherewise would have been like betraying 
trust. If it had not been a mission school I should 
have said to myself, I wonder where the troublesome 
children go to Sunday-school ? surely not here. Noth- 
ing was said about order during the whole session. Just 
before beginning the closing exercise the children were 
allowed to rise and sing a song, accompanied with ap- 
propriate motions. I thought it was a happy way of 
resting little bodies that would otherwise have to move 
and be called disorderly. I noticed that Miss T. made 
the motions which she wanted the children to make, 
and also that she sat as a signal for them to sit, and 
stood when she wanted them to stand ; thus making 
their obedience an exercise of the favorite " instinct of 
imitation." 

I was favorably impressed with the naturalness of her 
voice. She always used pleasant conversational tones, 
and in this regard differed from the majority of primary 
teachers I have heard, whose voices have either been 
too loud, too low, or had in them a patronizing element. 
The quality of the voice has great influence in a class. 



40 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

Have you not yourself felt this when listening to differ- 
ent public speakers whose voices seemed to have the 
power either to soothe or irritate ? 

At the close of the school Miss T. apologized for 
not speaking with me before, saying that it was her 
habit to devote herself wholly to the class daring the 
session. We walked away from the church together. 
And now I want to give you a few extracts from our 
conversation, for I am sure I gained some hints which 
must be a part of her secret of success. I said, " l I was 
gratified by the order in your class ; but are you not 
sometimes obliged to give reproof, or ask for quiet ? " 
" I never tell children to keep quiet," was her reply, 
" but I correct myself, rather than the children. If my 
class becomes restless, I am sure that I have grown 
tedious, so I either brighten my lesson or change the 
exercise. Sometimes there will be a degree of inat- 
tention or play in any class, for which the teacher is 
hardly responsible. In such cases I ask the disorder- 
ly ones questions on the lesson ; or, if possible, go and 
stand by them, making no mention of the fault, how- 
ever, as that would destroy the attention of the whole 
class." 

I remarked that I had read in Our Own Fireside a 
short article by a medical writer, in which it was stated 
that " Infant schools would only promote death if they 
were not conducted in a playful manner, with frequent 
exercises of hands, feet, and voices." 

Miss T. said that Theodore Parker had written at 
least one true thing among his many errors. It was 
this : " Men often speak of breaking the will of a child, 



Attention and Discipline. 41 

but it seemed to me they had better break the neck. 
The will needs regulating, not destroying. The in- 
struction of children should be such as to animate, in- 
spire, strain, but not to hew, cut, and carve ; for I would 
always treat a child as a live tree, which was to be 
helped to grow ; never as dry, dead timber, to be carved 
into this or that shape, and to have certain moldings 
grooved upon it. A live tree, and not dead timber, is 
every little child." 

" If you should not succeed in checking the disorder 
by diversion, what would you do ?" I asked. " Quietly 
dispose of the offender by seating him alone, continuing 
all the time to talk about the lesson." " Some teachers, 
you know, have difficulty not only in keeping, but also in 
securing attention." Miss T. replied, " Children should 
not be required to pay strict attention until there is 
something to receive for it. To request attention before 
the exercises or lesson begins reminds me of the indi- 
vidual who had agreed to teach a class of boys and girls 
to whistle. He began by saying, ' Prepare to whistle.' 
The smiling which followed rendered whistling impos- 
sible. I am persuaded that the quickest, surest, and 
pleasantest way to gain the attention is not to ask for 
it, but to win it. I cannot say that I have ever had the 
perfect attention of a class from the beginning to the 
end of a lesson, but I have been able to prevent habit- 
ual inattention on the part of any children by asking 
several in succession to give answers to the same ques- 
tion, and by having their replies repeated by the whole 
class simultaneously, or by any one who seemed dis- 
posed to be inattentive. In all this, then, there is for 



42 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

you and me this thought : Win attention, and order 
rather than demand it." 

I was here reminded of what Dr. Gregory has said 
about securing attention. He says in substance, atten- 
tion is of two sorts — compelled and attracted. The 
former is only momentary, because it is mechanical, 
and therefore purely external. The latter scarcely 
knows any fatigue, because it is vital : hunger, seeking 
food ; excited interest, seeking gratification. " Yes," 
Miss T. replied, " but we must not forget that ' fixed 
attention is physically impossible in a child for any 
lengthened period.' " 

I was then led to say that I thought teachers were 
too apt to consider only the children's relation to atten- 
tion. We would not think any one who did not know 
how to read himself capable of teaching others to read. 
Neither is any one who cannot control his own atten- 
tion capable of fixing the attention of others. A dis- 
ciplined mind is essential to the disciplining of other 
minds. Children feel the reserve power. They are 
true psychologists, invariably seeking out the inner 
man, and acknowledging the power they feel by allow- 
ing themselves to be swayed by a superior intelligence. 
We must, then, try to perfect ourselves before we look 
for perfect results in others. 

Now I am going to close this letter by giving you a 
few extracts from Pestalozzi, " the father of popular 
education : " — 

" When I recommend to a mother to avoid wearying 
a child by her instructions, I do not wish to encourage 
the notion that instruction should always take the char- 



Attention and Discipline. 43 

acter of amusement, or even of a play. A child must, 
very early in life, be taught that exertion is indispensa- 
ble for the attainment of knowledge. But a child should 
not be taught to look upon exertion as an evil. 

" I would suggest that the best means to prevent this 
is to adopt a mode of instruction by which the children 
are less left to themselves — less thrown upon the unwel- 
come employment of passive listening — less harshly 
treated for little and excusable failings, but more roused 
by questions, animated by illustrations, interested and 
won by kindness. 

"Interest in study is the first thing which a teacher, 
a mother, should endeavor to excite and keep alive. 
There are scarcely any circumstances in which a want 
of application in children does not proceed from a want 
of interest. There are, perhaps, none in which a want 
of interest does not originate in the mode of teaching 
adopted by the teacher. If he is not, with his whole 
mind, present at the subject — if he does not care 
whether it is understood or not, whether his manner is 
liked or not — he will never fail of alienating the affec- 
tions of his pupils, and rendering them indifferent to ; 
what he says. But real interest taken in the task of in- 
struction — kind words, and kinder feelings, the expres- 
sion of the features, and the glance of the eye — are 
never lost upon children." 

Yours, in loving service, S. J. C. 



44 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



VI. 

The Art of Questioning. 

Dear Teacher Friend : — The world owes about all 
it has of good to people who have asked questions. 
The law of gravitation is the answer to Newton's ques- 
tion about the falling apple ; the watch and clock are 
the answer to Galileo's question about the swinging of 
the suspended lamp ; the railway is the answer to Watt's 
question about the steam of the tea-kettle, and the tele- 
graph and the cable are the answer to Franklin's ques- 
tion about the lightning. What a wise world this would 
be if all the people were in the habit of asking ques- 
tions ! Let us congratulate ourselves that, as teachers, 
we can exert an influence to bring about that state of 
things. As Sunday-school teachers we are in a position 
to do more than to arouse minds to discoveries con- 
nected with temporal welfare ; yes, even to lead souls 
to search out the mystery of godliness, for Christ has 
said, li Ask, and ye shall receive." To accomplish these 
desires, our first effort should be to stir the children to 
self-activity. 

Make thought the coin which a child must pay for 
the lesson which he receives. 

Dr. Vincent has said, " It is the business of the teacher 
to set the mind of his pupil to thinking : — 

'* i. Thinking — to feel its need of truth. 

" 2. Thinking — to explore old truth. 



The Art of Questioning. 45 

" 3. Thinking — to get new truth. 

" 4. Thinking — to grow by truth. 

" 5. Thinking — to make a wise use of all truth." 

The teacher, then, in order to fulfill the conditions of 
his business, should train the children to observe, to re- 
call what they have been taught, and to draw from the 
resources of their present knowledge. This self-activity, 
this thinking, this observation, can best be aroused by 
the question method of teaching, called the Socratic 
method after one of its earliest and most illustrious prac- 
titioners. 

" Socrates was constantly intent on making his pupils 
independent and self-reliant. He did not value results 
of instruction that were merely handed over, already 
complete, by the teacher to the pupil. He desired to 
associate his pupil with himself as his productive part- 
ner and helper in the search for truth. No mind could 
come into contact with him and not be roused to ac- 
tivity. It was lively work to answer his questions. It 
took thinking. And thinking was the chief intellectual 
result at which Socrates aimed. There was no hum- 
drum monotony in his method. He was full of am- 
bushes and surprises. His pupils had to be perpetually 
on the alert or they would be caught in some absurd 
self-contradiction. He never approached them twice in 
the same way. Now, perhaps, he would ask them to de- 
fine for him some term in ordinary use. Taking up their 
reply, he would then, in a series of apparently remote 
questions, bring them back, after long circuits, to the 
starting-point, to find that they had quite abandoned 
their own definition. Again, he would begin by stating 



46 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

some startling paradox, which his pupils would at first, 
on being questioned, dispute. By a course of subsequent 
interrogation he would bring them to a point at which 
they were obliged to confess that they had unconsciously 
admitted it to be true. Yet, again, he would set out 
with letting his pupils acknowledge as true some com- 
monplace principle, and then fetch them a long way 
around to discover that, according to their own answers, 
it must be false. He never talked long without inter- 
rupting himself to make sure of the attention and inter- 
est of his pupils by asking them some question. His 
teaching was talking — talking, back and forth — conver- 
sation." * 

It is noticeably true that the most renowned teachers 
are also renowned questioners. It has been wisely 
said, " No one teaches well who does not question 
well." 

To any in the habit of teaching without responses 
from pupils, the use of the deaf mute language might be 
suggested, because its appeal to the eye has more power 
than the sound of the voice to control the attention. 
The ideas which a mind gains by effort are not only un- 
derstood, but indelibly stamped upon it. It is only the 
digested food which contributes to the growth and 
strength of the body. Any excess is positively a source 
of weakness and disease. Likewise it is only the truth 
received that is inwrought, and so becomes subjective, 
that develops and strengthens the mind. 

Try to fill a glass with water by dashing the contents 
of a pitcher into it. It cannot thus be filled ; but gently 
* Wm. C. Wilkinson, D.D., in " The Normal Class." 



The Art of Questiojiing. 47 

and slowly pour from the pitcher and soon the glass 
will be filled to overflowing, and not a drop will be lost. 
The same principle will apply in our teaching, and will 
lead us to question the lesson into the children rather 
than tell them all about it. 

Curiosity is the most favorable state of mind for re- 
ceiving ideas. With young children it is the appetite 
which prepares the mind to relish its food. Make pupils 
curious to know is the first rule I would urge upon inex- 
perienced teachers. Tell them nothing they are not 
curious to know is a second rule of like importance. 

The teacher may learn a lesson from the process of 
making rock candy. When the melted sugar is ready 
to crystallize threads are placed in it, so that the crys- 
tals may be formed around them. Let a teacher make 
a child's curiosity the thread which shall gather about it 
the crystals of truth. 

The Bible expresses the value of questioning in the 
words, " That thou mightest know the certainty of those 
things wherein thou hast been instructed," (catechised.) 

Questions are not only a help to the children, but they 
are the teacher's most faithful assistants. They show 
how much the children know ; how much the children 
are able to do ; how much the teacher has accomplished 
in each lesson. If you knew of any person who could 
accurately tell you these three things, what effort would 
you not be willing to make to avail yourself of his assist- 
ance ? The art of questioning is a yet more valuable 
assistant than that person would be to you, because it 
will clothe you with just the power you seek in another. 
A teacher who does not become cognizant of these things, 



48 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

and therefore teaches the lesson without any thought of 
its adaptability, might be likened to that dealer in ready- 
made clothing who was asked to furnish a coat for a boy 
twelve years old. But when the coat was brought from 
the pile which usually supplied twelve-year-old boys it 
hung in awkward folds on the little fellow, who was not 
up to the average size. The dealer insisted to the 
parents that it was right. " Dere ish no trouble. De 
coat ish all right. De coat ish de broper size ; but de 
poy, ah ! the poy ish too shmall." 

The aim of questioning is, in brief, 

" I. To measure the pupils' knowledge and power, 
" i. For the teacher's information ; 
" 2. For the pupils' information. 

" II. To stimulate the pupils' desire for knowledge 
and their purpose to secure it. 

" III. To assist the pupils in such purpose and effort, 
" i. By questions put to them ; 
" 2. By questions elicited from them. 

" IV. To prove the teacher's work."* 

According to the purposes enumerated, questions may 
be divided into three classes : examining, developing, 
and reviewing. 

I feel that you are telegraphing this question to me : 
Where in the lesson must these different kinds of questions 
be used ? I cannot give you an invariable rule, except 
it be, study to make the greatest possible variety. If a les- 
son is one of a series, reviewing questions would natu- 
rally be the first, in order to muster the stock of knowl- 
edge about the old lesson for a better understanding of 
* Dr. Vincent. 



The Art of Questioning, 49 

the new lesson. But this should not always be so. Some- 
times, but seldom, it might be well to ask an examining 
question first, to find out how much the children know 
about the lesson before teaching it to them. 

Usually a better way is to follow the rule of the follow- 
ing aphorism : " Show the child a certain quality in one 
thing and let him find out the same in others." This 
would be done by developing questions. See specimen 
lesson on " The Mind of Christ." 

Developing questions " stimulate the pupil's desire 
for knowledge and his purpose to secure it; " also, 
"assisting him in such purpose and effort." Examining 
questions "measure the pupil's knowledge and power." 
Reviewing questions " prove the teacher's work." It 
should be your study to know how you can best adapt 
these means to an end. In teaching a primary class les- 
son, developing questions should generally be used. I 
cannot agree with that writer on the subject of question- 
ing who says, " Except in the case of infant or feeble 
children, questions should never suggest answers." I 
think questions to children should never suggest answers 
in any other way than that included in the Socratic 
method, by which the answer to the first question sug- 
gests the second, in this way supplying a series of steps. 
Questions which do not suggest the answer in any other 
way than this help young minds to grasp ideas. It is 
really wonderful to what points of understanding even 
" infants " may be brought by a gradual series of devel- 
oping questions. 

One delightful use I have made of examining ques- 
tions has been to bring out the children's differences 



50 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

of opinions, asking, What do you think ? Why do 
you think so ? [See specimen lesson on <4 Jesus, the 
King."] 

Reviewing questions should be asked not only for the 
purposes of recalling previous lessons or of closing each 
lesson, but also to test every point in the lesson during 
its progress, in order to make the work thorough. 
Never tell a fact, or develop a thought, without asking 
for it again. 

Dr. D. once said in a sermon, " I make it a point 
to repeat to a friend any fact which I wish to remember 
within three weeks after reading or hearing it. I am 
thus disseminating knowledge while benefiting my own 
memory." 

The effort which a child must make to respond to re- 
viewing questions will benefit not only himself, but 
every little classmate as well. His ability to tell what 
he has been learning makes sure that he knows those 
things wherein he has been instructed. 

Notwithstanding the interrogative method is so stir- 
ring in itself, I have seen a lesson on this plan fall dead 
upon listless pupils. The reason why this was so was 
because the questions were not judiciously framed or 
properly uttered. 

What are injudicious questions ? 

i. Questions beyond the pupil's ability to answer, 
either in the light of his present knowledge, observation, 
or reasoning power. Thus there is a tendency to check 
thought rather than to create it, to discourage rather 
than to help. 

Such at question was that of a clergyman, who asked 



The Art of Questioning. 51 

a class of young children, " Can you tell me whether, in 
the work of regeneration, the Holy Spirit operates casual- 
ly or instrumentally ? " 

2. Those which are indefinite or vague. They develop 
confusion on the part of the children, and perplexity on 
the part of the teacher. Questions are of this character 
when the teacher has not a clear idea of what she wants 
to teach, or when the questions are so long that the 
idea is lost in the labyrinth of words. The following 
questions, selected from A Question Book for Yowiger 
Classes, are of this sort : " What does the reason God 
gave for diminishing the army of the Israelites tell us 
about the character of God's people ? " " Did God 
select those who lapped the water because they drank 
in this way, or did they drink thus because God had se- 
lected them ? " Questions should be as short and con- 
cise as possible. 

3. The third kind of injudicious questions includes 
those which contain much of the answer. The children 
reply to these by guessing rather than by thinking ; for 
example, " Esau used to hunt ; what was he ? A hunt- 
er. Jacob used to take care of sheep ; what may we 
call him ? A sheeper." 

Shakspeare gives us a striking example of this sort 
of questions in the conversation between Hamlet and 
Polonius : — 

" Ham. Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in 
shape of a camel ? 

" Pol. By the mass, and 'tis like a camel indeed. 

" Ham. Methinks it is like a weasel. 

" Pol. It is backed like a weasel. 



52 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

" Ham. Or, like a whale ? 

" Pol. Very like a whale." 

The intonation of the teacher's voice frequently shows 
whether the expected answer is " yes " or " no," and 
the children, without thought, answer as they think they 
are expected to. A gentleman was visiting at a friend's 
house where there was a little boy three years old. The 
father was accustomed to ask Harry, in a tone of pecul- 
iar affection, " Are you papa's nice little boy ? " The 
visitor said, " He doesn't really think about what you 
are asking when he answers 'yes,' and I'll prove it 
to you." So he asked the child, in the same tone the 
father had used, " Are you papa's bad little boy ? " 
" Yes," replied the child. Then he asked, rather gruffly, 
" Are you papa's good little boy ? " " No." 

The teacher's tones may check thought in yet an- 
other way, that is, by having in them a sort of mathe- 
matical precision, or a certain kind of dispatch, such as 
one would show in throwing missiles. Fear is thus 
caused to take possession of the children. 

What now may be considered judicious questions ? 

i. Those about things which pupils can see or hear. 
(Opportunity may be given for observation by means of 
object illustrations.) 2. Those which are so systematic- 
ally arranged that each question is naturally developed 
from the preceding answer. 3. Those which are so 
simple and direct that only one answer can be given. 
Still other varieties of judicious questions might be 
developed from the following rule of Dr. Vincent : 
'* Tax the memory, judgment, invention, and conscience 
of the pupils in your questions." 



The Art of Questioning. 53 

The whole aim of questioning is comprehensively 
summed up in the following extract from an English 
Sunday-school paper :— 

" Would you arrest and sustain attention — ques- 
tion. 

" Would you discover what scholars already know — 
question. 

" Would you provide teaching adapted to the wants 
of the scholars — question. 

" Would you have hearty co-operation between teacher 
and scholar — question. 

"Would you fix truth in the mind — question. 

" Would you continuously refresh the memory — 
question. 

" Would you pointedly and powerfully deal with the 
conscience— question. 

" Would you clearly and successfully direct the anx- 
ious — question. 

" Would you ascertain the actual results of your 
teaching — question. 

" Before you begin the lesson — question. 

"As you proceed with the lesson — question. 

"At the close of the lesson — question." 

The success of a lesson taught according to the ques- 
tion method depends greatly upon the bearing of the 
teacher. It is not enough that a teacher should have in 
mind a well-arranged outline, but she must possess the 
tact to carry it out so that it appears like a free conver- 
sation. All of the children must be interested and en- 
gaged, for that is a propriety which should enter into 
all conversations. There will be a tendency which 



54 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

must continually be guarded against to conduct the 
lesson with the few children who are most ready to talk. 
Simultaneous replies should not be given by the class 
until a few individual answers have been made, for there 
may be a great show of knowledge where, for the most 
part, there is emptiness. I should not advise you to ask 
questions in regular order around the class, for I too 
well remember the sense of relief from responsibility that 
I used to feel when " my turn " had passed. 

The best plan of asking questions is to address them 
to the whole class, without any intimation as to who will 
be called upon to answer. Request all who can answer 
to hold up their hands, and then let one or more per- 
sons be selected to reply. Afterward request simulta- 
neous repetition of one or more of the answers given. . 

The teacher should work out her plan with sympathy. 
If the children give wrong answers it may be possible 
to work them into the lesson plan, or, at least, a kind 
u no " can be spoken. A heartless " no ! " is sometimes 
worse than smiting a child. 

A successful use of the question method depends, 
too, upon the efforts of the pupils. On their part there 
should be a disposition to try; prompt, definite, and 
distinct answers, and a willingness to wait until called 
upon. 

It requires peculiar skill on the part of the teacher to 
question well. It comes more naturally to some than to 
others, but it may be acquired, in a greater or less de- 
gree, by all. Having taken upon ourselves the respon- 
sibilities of teachers, it is a solemn duty to so develop 
ourselves that strength shall be cast over weakness. 



The Art of Questioning. 55 

Thus a deficiency may cease to be a blemish in becom- 
ing a bud of growth. 

I would recommend to you, if you desire to become a 
skillful questioner, some good work on mental philoso- 
phy. I can assure you that you will find no more read- 
able book on any subject than The Human Intellect, by 
Prof. Porter, of Yale College. Let any one carefully 
read the chapters on "Consciousness," "Sense-Per- 
ception," and on "Representation and Representative 
Knowledge," " Intuition and Intuitive Knowledge," and 
he cannot fail to appreciate how utterly at variance with 
the laws of mental development are methods almost 
universally adopted. 

Socrates should be studied by the teacher, not for 
what he taught, but to see how he taught. But you 
need not seek far-away helps. You will find it a great 
assistance in the first days of your trial of the question 
method to confine yourself to questions beginning with 
W— Who? What? Why? When? By whom? To 
what ? For what ? After a little time you will not 
need to be so circumscribed. 

After all your best guide will be practice, both in the 
class room and with little friends you may meet. Take 
a fact which you may wish to tell a child ; write out a 
series of questions by which you could develop the 
thought in a child's mind, and then ask some little 
friend, or even a friend of larger growth, to be your 
pupil until you can " try on " your plan. 

Let your aim be to " make children skillful finders of 
truth rather than patient receivers of it." 

Yours in loving service, S. J. C. 



56 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



VII. 

The Art of Memorizing. 

Dear Teacher Friend : — Have you not noticed that 
a reform sometimes carries public opinion as far in 
excess of the right as it was lacking before, and that a 
rebound is necessary to establish a healthy condition? 
The awarding of prizes for the greatest number of 
Scripture verses committed to memory was a reform 
instituted to correct the total lack of a study of God's 
word. And now we are having the rebound in the de- 
mand that what is memorized must first be understood. 
The result will be intelligent study of the word The 
memorizing of Scripture is good, even more, it is in- 
dispensable, for three reasons : i. That hearts may have 
a help within for the hours of temptation, affliction, and 
prosperity. 2. That habits of thinking God's thoughts 
and speaking in words of godliness may be cultivated. 
3. That Christ's followers may be able to meet contro- 
versy in God's own words, and may have for ready use 
that weapon which is sharper than any two-edged 
sword. A moment's thought will prove to you that 
without an understanding of it, no amount of Scripture 
would meet the needs just enumerated. One who pos- 
sesses simply a word-knowledge of the Scripture might 
be likened to a man who purchased a field in which lay 
an inexhaustible mine of gold, but without knowing of 
it, lived on year after year meeting his necessities by 



The Art of Memorizing. 57 

hardest effort. To know the words of the Bible with- 
out grasping the spirit of truth under them is to live on 
the surface, where neither love, joy, nor peace can be 
drawn from God's great treasury. If it were necessary, 
which it is not, that we should choose between teach- 
ing our pupils simply the words of the Bible or incul- 
cating its truths, I would choose to do the latter ; for I 
know that such a course would inspire a desire in the 
minds of the children to read and study for themselves, 
would give them strength to bear the trials of life, and 
would help them early to grow Christ-like. If an empty 
bucket is let down into a well and drawn up hastily, it 
will be returned as empty as it was sent; but if the 
bucket is allowed to sink below the surface of the 
water, it will be running over when drawn up. And so 
if words are allowed to sink into the depth of conscious- 
ness and feeling, they will be filled with the water of 
life for human hearts. 

Perhaps you are thinking of the same question that 
was asked at our teachers' meeting : Is it not proper to 
require the Scripture to be memorized and then have it 
explained ? A reply was given in the form of three 
questions, namely : Did man in the beginning inherit a 
language, or has the language grown out of his neces- 
sity? Then is not the natural order, ideas first, lan- 
guage second? Should our teaching be based upon 
natural or artificial methods ? Language has grown out 
of necessity, each new invention or experience bring- 
ing a new word into our vocabulary. Language is, there- 
fore — relative — the expression of the impression, and should 
be second to ideas in order of development. 



58 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

I think it is not too much to say that all passages of 
Scripture should be understood before they are memo- 
rized. A child who had been taught to think about what 
she was learning was one day asked to repeat the Golden 
Rule. She hesitated, but evidently the idea was strug- 
gling for expression ; finally it burst forth in this wise : 
" What you don't want other little girls to do to you, 
don't you do to them." Better for a child to have such 
a clear idea of the Golden Rule than to be able to repeat 
it perfectly without understanding it. Of course both 
can and should be done. 

It is useless to urge, as some do, that because all 
Scripture is given by inspiration of God there is no need 
of explaining it. The inspiration of the writers of the 
Bible does not imply that its readers are also inspired. 
It is also urged by some against explaining the Scriptures 
before memorizing, that the Holy Spirit is the one great 
Teacher of the word of God. In John xvi, 13, we read, 
" When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you 
into all truth." Christ taught his disciples things which 
they did not and could not understand until after his 
resurrection and the coming of the Spirit. But no other 
teacher should plead Christ's example in this respect, 
as the necessity for such a course no longer exists. As 
well expect miraculous manifestations of healing to the 
degree of apostolic days, as to expect the same miracu- 
lous manifestations of teaching. In these days, Chris- 
tian teachers (and no other kind should be appointed) 
must lead other hearts to see the beauty of the Lord 
and of his word. Have not passages which seemed dull 
and obscure to you been greatly illuminated by the ex- 



The Art of Memorizing. 59 

planations of some friend or speaker ? I once listened 
to some remarks by Miss Sarah Smiley upon the text, 
" All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is 
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 
instruction in righteousness." She said she determined 
to read the Bible with that passage as a key. When 
she came to the first genealogical list it took her some 
time to discover how those almost unpronounceable 
names could be in any way " profitable " to her. At last 
the thought dawned upon her that although the records 
of those persons were unknown to men, God remem- 
bered all their service. Then she said, " When I have 
passed away and am forgotten — even the sound of my 
name — God will remember me." What if Miss Smiley 
had been given in childhood the task of memorizing 
those same names ? Do you think the Spirit would 
then have taught her the sweet lesson which was after- 
ward the reward of prayerful study ? Ruskin speaks 
with enthusiasm of his mother's faithfulness in this mat- 
ter of Bible reading : " As soon as I was able to read 
with fluency, my mother began a course of Bible work 
with me which never ceased until I went to Oxford. 
She read alternate verses with me, watching, at first, 
every intonation of my voice, and correcting the false 
ones, till she made me understand the verse, if within 
my reach, rightly and energetically. It might be beyond 
me altogether. That she did not care about; but she 
made sure that as soon as I got hold of it at all, I should 
get hold of it by the right end. In this way she began 
with the first verse of Genesis, and went straight through 
to the last verse of the Apocalypse." 



60 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

Ruskin also says : " It is unfortunate, but very certain, 
that in order to attend to what is said, we must go 
through the irksomeness of learning the meaning of the 
words. And the first thing that children should be 
taught about their Bibles is to distinguish clearly be- 
tween words that they understand and words that they 
do not, and never to think they are reading the Bible 
when they are merely repeating phrases of an unknown 
tongue." It is, perhaps, true that "some persons have 
come to a knowledge of the truth without any creature 
helps." " Man's extremity is God's opportunity." 
Whatever is necessary for a Christian that his own ef- 
forts cannot secure, God provides for him ; but what 
man can do for himself, God will not do for him. The 
Bible is not like that magic ax which, without hand to 
guide it, cut its way through dense forests. Neither is 
it any argument against the explanation of Scripture 
before memorizing to quote Luther's example when he 
claimed the privilege of reading the word of God 
" without priestly comment." Luther renounced priestly 
comment only to substitute his own thorough study and 
explanation of the truth. It is hardly just to assume 
that all teachers are false teachers, and will pervert the 
truth. If it perpetuates errors to explain Scripture, 
then our whole system of Sunday-school instruction, and 
preaching too, for that matter, is wrong ; and the only 
right way would be to place a copy of the Bible in the 
hands of pupils, and let them spend the hour usually 
devoted to the study of the lesson in private and indi- 
vidual reading, " without explanation or comment." 

Dr. Hall says : " Let the Bible speak for itself, and it 



The Art of Memorizing. 6 1 

will make itself interesting. Exhibit the naked sword 
of God's truth, and it will cut its own way into the 
heart and conscience. But be careful, and see that in 
using the sword you take hold of the handle. Many 
persons seize it wrong end first, and succeed in doing 
double execution ; they stun their hearers, and cut 
themselves." 

We want to give our pupils the sword of the Spirit 
by the handle, and not by the blade, when we ask them 
to memorize Scripture. Very many of the passages of 
the Bible are so plain that their meaning is evident at 
the first utterance ; but those which are not so should be 
explained to the child as far as possible, enough, at least, 
to give him an intelligent thought in connection with 
them. I do not say that the meaning of every word 
should be explained, but the general thought of the text 
should be understood ; and this plan would suggest that 
memory verses and golden texts had better be memo- 
rized by the class after the lesson containing them has 
been taught, rather than before. Otherwise the words 
spoken in the sixteenth century by Roger Ascham of 
some pupils who learned their lessons without under- 
standing them, will be made true of the scholars of to- 
day : " Their whole knowledge was tied onely to their 
tong and lips, and never ascended up to the braine and 
head, and therefore was soon spitte out of the mouth 
againe." 

Put in contrast to this the following incident. In the 
days of persecution a boy had secretly secured a Testa- 
ment. The priest found it out, and, taking it from him, 
threw it into the fire. As the boy watched it burning 



62 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

with tears in his eyes, he turned to the priest and said, 
" Sir, the first ten chapters of Matthew are hidden safe 
where you cannot burn them." 

" Tell me where they are or you shall burn ! " said the 
priest, sternly. 

" I have them in my heart" was the boy's brave 
answer. 

Professor Gillett, of the Normal College of New York 
city, once said in a Sunday-school teachers' gathering 
where this subject of memorizing was being discussed, 
that it had been a principle with him for years not to 
request a lesson to be learned until it had been the 
theme of conversation in the class, or had been explained 
in some way. The testimony of hundreds of educators 
in our own and other countries would show the same 
plan. 

Why is it that many Sunday-school teachers are so 
blind to the right of development of a child's mind, and 
that they strongly urge there is no necessity in under- 
standing what is memorized, but that " the word hid in 
the heart will some day be quickened into a source of 
help and strength? " I should like to ask them if Sun- 
day-school instruction is not for the purpose of training 
up a child in the way he should go for present help; is. 
it not to give him power to overcome temptation in 
" another's greater strength ? " The Scripture passage 
(Psa. xix, 9, it) which teaches the hiding of God's word 
in the heart, declares that it is to be done to cleanse the 
soul and keep free from sin. It surely is not reasonable 
to overlook the child's present need, that there may be 
laid up for him wisdom for maturity, when, indeed, not 



The Art of Memorizing. 63 

only for present help, but for the future as well, he would 
be made stronger by an intelligent memorizing of the 
Scripture. I am thinking that Satan does not object to 
" hiding of the word " in the child's heart if it is " hid " 
away from the child's understanding, for he looks at the 
possibility that the child may be called from earth before 
the precious seed has had time or occasion to spring into 
life and bear the fruit of the Spirit. 

A gentleman, to show a young friend, who had studied 
geography several years, something about the shape and 
motion of the earth, took up an apple and illustrated the 
scientific fact. His young friend looked at the apple 
and at the gentleman a few minutes with great interest, 
and said : " Why, sir, you don't mean that the earth 
really turns round, do you ? " He replied, " Did you 
not learn that long ago ? " " Yes, sir," she responded, 
" I learned it, but I never knew it before." 

Ah ! there is a wide space between learning and 
knowing. Nothing less than to lead their pupils to know, 
to the depths of their souls, the blessed truth as it is in 
Jesus, should be our aim as Sunday-school teachers. 

James Gall, the veteran Sunday-school worker of 
Scotland, and author of End and Essence of Sabbath- 
school Teaching, whose thoughts and practice were 
earnestly turned toward securing intelligent memorizing 
of the Bible and the Catechism, says: "A large proportion 
of those who could recite pages of the Bible or Cate- 
chism with perfect accuracy lived and died in ignorance 
of the way of life." 

Mr. Gall showed " a more excellent way " of teaching 
religious truth, by means of well-considered extempo- 



64 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

rized questions, drawing out the meaning and applica- 
tions of the Bible text and Catechism answers so that 
the words memorized were understood when first lodged 
in the memory. His statement of the " effects of the 
old system of religious instruction as now practically 
exhibited in society," and of "the difference between 
learning a Catechism and being catechised, 1 ' would, per- 
haps, give new light to many who now advocate a return 
to the old modes of teaching, or of attempting to in- 
doctrinate the young through unintelligent memorizing. 

One warning which Gall then gave is, after fifty years, 
still needed, not only by teachers, but by some who as- 
sume to instruct teachers. It is this : " The principal 
thing to be guarded against by the teacher, at this [the 
earlier] stage of a religious education, is the repeating, 
or committing words to memory, without the children's 
understanding them. However little they read or learn, 
it should always be understood." * Being understood, it 
will be likely to go home with the pupils and influence 
their lives. A beautiful instance of this is given in 
Nehemiah viii, 8, 10, 12. 

The question might very justly be asked, Will as much 
Scripture be memorized by the plan suggested, as by the 
award of prizes ? To say nothing of the miserable motives 
which influence the seeking of prizes, I should like the 
question better in this form : Will more Scripture be 
lived as a result of committing it to memory understand- 
ing^, or for a prize for the greatest number of verses ? 
But I will answer the question as first given. Let two 
children be examined who have memorized in the two" 
* " Sunday-School "World." 



The Art of Memorizing. 65 

ways just named, and doubtless the one who had been 
striving for the prize (not for the prize of the high call- 
ing of God in Christ Jesus) would be able to repeat the 
largest number of verses ; but let those two persons be 
brought together again at the end of ten years, and the 
result would usually prove exactly opposite ; one having 
soon " spitte them out of the mouth," while the other 
pondered them in the heart. 

" How can pupils always come to the class prepared 
with their lessons, if they must understand the lesson be- 
fore memorizing it ?" is a question which naturally arises. 
I have long been in the habit of requesting the children 
of my classes to learn during the week the Golden Text 
of the lesson taught the preceding Sunday, rather than 
that of the new lesson, desiring them to understand what 
they learned. I had once the privilege of attending a 
course of lectures, by Dr. C. S. Robinson, on the " Exo- 
dus," illustrated by the stereopticon. After listening to 
each lecture, I was eager to get home that I might again 
read the Bible account of the Exodus, which had sud- 
denly become fraught with new meaning. There would 
be great gain to the Sunday-school cause if pupils could 
be thus incited to study. Primary teachers can see to it 
that their little pupils are started in this right way. If 
I were the teacher of older pupils than are in the Pri- 
mary Department, my requirement for home study would 
be mainly connected with the preceding lesson, while I 
should encourage the study of the new lesson also. 

The principle of memorizing with the aid of the un- 
derstanding has been sadly violated in teaching chil- 
dren the Catechism, prayers, and songs. A little child 
5 



66 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

was beard to sing, " Let me die in the harness shop." 
Being asked where he learned to sing the song, he re- 
plied, " In the Sunday-school." Upon inquiring of his 
teacher, it was found that the chiJd was trying to sing, 
" Let me die in the harness " — in the exercise of Chris- 
tian duty. He sang it wrong because he did not un- 
derstand it. Another child, after having been taught for 
two or three years to pray, " Now I lay me down to 
sleep," etc., astonished his mother very much one even- 
ing by stopping in the midst of his prayer to ask what 
" fie-she-die " (if I should die) meant. How many 
children are thus being trained to lip service by well- 
meaning, but thoughtless, parents and teachers ! A lady 
remembers having almost grown to womanhood before 
she understood what " manschefen " (man's chief end) 
in the Catechism meant.* 

* In the Presbyterian Church we have got a good old Catechism — 
we call it the Westminster Catechism — and its theology is sound. It 
is good for theological students and men after they get to be thirty 
years old or so, but it is not intended for babes. Some give it to 
children of six. I know by experience, because I got the close at 
six. Go to a Presbyterian and tell him not to give it to a child of 
six, and he will hold up his hands in holy horror ! " What ! not 
give the children that dear old Westminster Catechism? I was 
brought up on it and it is good ! " I would as soon think of giving 
a babe tough beefsteak at a week old and expect it to digest it as to 
expect a child of six years old to understand that Catechism. But 
then, they say, we expect them to get it by heart — they mean by ear 
— and then, when they get grown up it will all come to them, and 
they will understand it. Why not apply the same rule to every 
thing, and let the child of six years old memorize the forty-seventh 
problem of the first book of Euclid, telling him that although he 
does not understand it now, he will when he is grown up ? No ! 
give them just what the Bible is full of — the milk of the blessed 



The Art of Memorizing. 67 

In the Sunday-school with which I am now connected, a 
class in the Methodist Catechism, or " Church Teacher," 
has been organized by the pastor, consisting of about 
fifty boys and girls, mostly between eight and sixteen 
y£ars of age. It meets for half an hour at the close of 
the Sunday-school, and two or three questions and an- 
swers are explained and illustrated at each session and 
then memorized, the exercise being accompanied with 
prayers and testimonies and songs by the children, and 
also by any adults who may be present. It is not ex- 
pected that the children will get a thorough understand- 
ing of the doctrines taught, but they do at least receive 
some intelligent idea of each sentence they are asked to 
remember. 

Just here I am reminded to express a desire that 
there might be a change in the time of the responsive 
reading of the lesson by the school, which it would seem 
might be done with a better understanding, and conse- 
quently more interest, after the attention of all had 
been concentrated upon it during the lesson hour, 
rather than at the usual time — the opening of the 
school. 

I am thinking that some of these days, wnen you 
are advocating the principles contained in this letter, 
you will want to quote higher authority than your 
friend, Mrs. C, so I am going to furnish you with a for- 

Gospel — milk for babes. Give them the Bible, which is so full of 
Jesus that we can feel his arm around our neck as we read. The dry, 
metaphysical Catechism as a substitute for it is blasphemy. I love 
the Catechism in its place, but this is not its place. — Rev. Howard 
Crosby, D.D. 



68 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

midable list of names and evidences that I have taken 
from a fine article written by Rev. Henry Clay Trum- 
bull for the Sunday- School Times : *' Robert Herbert Quick 
quotes Montaigne, Milton, Locke, Ratich, Comenius, 
Jacotot, Rousseau, and others, as agreeing that ' only 
that which is understood maybe committed to memory.' 
Said Comenius, ' In teaching let the inmost part, that is, 
the understanding of the subject, come first, then let the 
thing understood be used to exercise the memory.' 
Ratich affirmed, ' Knowledge of the thing itself must 
be given before that which refers to the thing ; for if a 
thing is thoroughly grasped by the understanding, the 
memory retains it without further trouble.' " 

Perhaps I ought not to do more now than name those 
who agree with this opinion on memorizing : Wilder- 
spin, the originator of the infant-school system ; James 
Currie, principal of the Church of Scotland Training 
College, at Edinburgh ; Wm. Russell, editor of the 
American Journal of Education ; Herbert Spencer ; 
M. Marcel ; James Gill, of Scotland ; Rev. J. F. Sar- 
geant, of London ; J. G. Fitch, of London ; Dr. John 
Todd; Dr. John S. Hart; Dr. John P. Gulliver; Dr. J. 
M. Gregory. Mr. Trumbull adds : "And so the authori- 
ties might be multiplied, but already it has been shown 
there has been substantial agreement on this point 
among representative teachers in Germany, Austria, 
Denmark, Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, and 
America." 

There is another authority to be added, God's word 
by his apostle Paul, wherein we find the following: " If 
the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall pre- 



The Art of Memorizing. 69 

pare himself to the battle ? So likewise ye, except ye 
utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how 
shall it be known what is spoken, for ye shall speak into 
the air. I had rather speak five words with my under- 
standing, that by my voice I might teach others also, 
than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." 
Yours, in loving service, S. J. C. 



yo Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



VIII. 

The Art of Illustration. 

Dear Teacher Friend : — If you should ask me, " What 
are the best helps to gain attention ? " I would reply, 
The use of apt illustrations. 

One hot summer day I was trying to give my class an 
idea of an ancient sandal ; but the children were far 
more interested in making mischief than they were in 
the lesson. I stooped down quickly, and, taking off the 
shoe of a little girl who sat near, held it up, saying : 
" Here is Annie's shoe. If it had no buttons on it, and 
was nothing but a sole with strings to tie around her 
foot to keep it on, it would be much like the shoes 
people used to wear when Jesus was on earth. They 
called their funny shoes sandals." Every eye was fast- 
ened upon the shoe, and all the scholars were interested 
and instructed. 

Illustrations will also hold the attention. I have 
already written so much upon this point in a pre- 
vious letter that I will not enlarge upon it here more 
than to say, so long as children are interested, 
they are attentive, and they are attentive so long 
as the lesson is within their realm, the world of pict- 
ure and story, and not in the upper air of abstrac- 
tions. For children one illustration is worth a hundred 
abstractions. 

If you should ask me, " What are the best helps to 



The Art of Illustration. yi 

memory ?" I should also answer, Apt illustrations. They 
both "strike and stick." As a friend once said to me, 
" They stick like burs in a boy's hair.' Doubtless you 
have felt, as I have, an earnest desire to give the truth 
you teach such a degree of tenacity that it will be im- 
possible for the children to forget it. What will make 
a teacher able to do this, was once very clearly shown 
by Ralph Wells. Dr. Storrs had delivered a very fine 
address on some topic, and Mr. Wells, in order to test 
what is best remembered, asked a number of persons 
what Dr. Storrs had said. In each case what was re- 
called was hung on an illustration. This law of associ- 
ation is one of memory's greatest helpers. Have you 
not sometimes succeeded in recalling something you 
had forgotten, but were trying to remember, by going 
back to the place where you stood or sat when you had 
the thought ? Have you not been able to remember a 
new and peculiar name by associating it with some- 
thing ? 

Illustration is a help also in another direction. " It 
lightens up or illuminates a lesson."* Until I learned 
to associate God's truth with familiar objects, it was 
very tiresome work for me to read the Bible. One day, 
while taking a carriage drive with a friend, these ques- 
tions were asked me : " What does the Bible say about 
rocks? about water? about trees?" When I began to 
search for answers by aid of a concordance the reading 
of the Bible ceased to be a dull task, and passages 
which I had read with indifference before became 
bright points of interest. I do not hesitate to say that 
* Dr. Vincent. 



*]2 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

by the aid of illustration a teacher can succeed in mak- 
ing children enjoy and understand any lesson suitable 
to be given to them. 

Illustration lightens up a lesson, especially by aiding 
the children to understand a new truth through com- 
parison with something already familiar. " You tell us 
what things are, but never what they are like" was the 
criticism of Robert Hall on a brother minister. I 
wished to give a lesson on the " Resurrection " to a class 
of little pupils to whom I discovered it was an entirely 
new thought. The first step was to plant three weeks 
beforehand in the presence of the class a grain of corn 
in a flower-pot. When the day of the lesson came 
there was a little plant two inches high. It was drawn 
up, and the grain of corn was seen attached to it. The 
children were taught that the seed had been buried, and 
God had called it to come up. They were then told 
about the conversation of two little girls beside the 
grave of their little friend, Amy. 

" Did you say that they planted her ? Will she come 
up next year? " asked Annie. 

" No, not so soon," answered Katy ; " but some day 
God will call her to come up, then she will. Papa 
knows every thing, and he said she would." 

Then the story of Lazarus was told, as giving proof 
that the dead would come forth when God should call 
them. A general resurrection was taught, and finally 
the children were asked how they would like to look 
when they should come out of their graves. One 
little girl, five years old, and a boy, replied, " Very 
pretty." Another child answered, "Just as I do now." 



The Art of Illustration. 73 

They were then taught that if they truly loved Jesus 
they would shine as the sun, and look like him. 

The worship of the early Church was a grand system 
of illustration devised by God himself. The sacrifice 
of a lamb without spot or blemish was like the sacrifice 
of the sinless Lamb of God. The blood which must be 
sprinkled to insure that the life was yet in it, typified the 
sacrifice of a living Christ. The offering of dead blood, 
which would have been coagulated and could not have 
been sprinkled, would not have been typical of the 
blood which pleads for our sins. The altar to burn in- 
cense upon every morning and at even when the lamps 
were lighted, taught prayer to a nation who in no 
other way could have comprehended what prayer was. 
The high priest, who alone was admitted to the Holy 
of holies or. allowed to gaze upon the mercy-seat, the 
throne of God, was a grand illustration of the Advo- 
cate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. 
Macaulay says : " Logicians may reason about abstrac- 
tions, but the great mass of mankind can never feel an 
interest in them. They must have images." He also 
says that in early ages " God, the uncreated, the incom- 
prehensible, the invisible, attracted few worshipers. It 
was before Deity embodied in a human form, walking 
among men, partaking of their infirmities, leaning on 
their bosoms, weeping over their graves, slumbering in 
the manger, bleeding on the cross, that the prejudices 
of the synagogue, and the doubts of the academy, and 
the pride of the portico, and the fasces of the lictor, and 
the swords of thirty legions, were humbled in the dust." 

There is a certain school of thinkers who believe that 



74 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

" the development of man commences with natural 
perceptions through the senses ; its highest attainment 
is the exercise of reason." Taken without modifica- 
tions, this would have a rationalistic tendency. 

God has given us power to receive impressions or 
ideas of things through the five senses of the body, and . 
he has endowed us with the still higher capability of 
perceiving truth by soul intuitions, which we call rea- 
son, but would, perhaps, be better named revelation. 
We know some things, the knowledge of which we can- 
not trace to any other source than to God himself. 

The teaching in our Sunday-schools will be degraded 
in the measure that it is mere object teaching, but to 
bring the higher and lower faculties to point of contact 
will constitute the noblest kind of teaching. The fail- 
ure of so many teachers to do this in the use of objects 
has given to persons of fine spiritual sense a dislike to 
the method adapted to religious instruction. Let the 
spirit which the term object illustration embodies to a 
Christian teacher, but which would be better expressed 
by the words intuitional instruction, pervade Sunday- 
school teaching. 

But while the purpose of illustration is to lighten a 
lesson, sometimes the effect is to darken it. This is the 
case when the illustration is made more prominent than 
the lesson-thought, by the teacher's failure to make a 
definite application of the illustration. In the use of. 
illustrations there are conditions to be nicely adjusted. 
This cannot be done by putting the illustration in one 
balance and the truth in the other to test which will 
weigh the heavier on a pupil's mind. But the illustra- 



The Art of Illustration. 75 

tion must be well overlaid with the truth, as were the 
boards of Shittim wood overlaid with gold in the build- 
ing of the tabernacle. A teacher should test his work 
in this direction by making inquiries of parents what the 
children say about the lesson at home. 

It should also be kept in mind that incongruous illus- 
trations darken a lesson by changing, as it were, the as- 
pect of the truth, or by mingling it with ludicrous and 
degrading associations ; that inaccurate illustrations 
often destroy impressions of truth. A mother had been 
teaching her little daughter about the ark. Some time 
after the child was looking at a picture of an ark, when 
she suddenly exclaimed, " Why, mamma, you told me 
the ark had only one window in it, and that was in the 
roof! This picture has ten windows in the ark, for I 
counted them." 

Illustrations may be divided into two classes : first, 
those addressed to the ear; second, those addressed to 
the eye. Stories and incidents are included in the 
first class ; to the second class belong blackboard exer- 
cises, object illustrations, and pictures. Of the former 
I will give some hints in this letter, but I will reserve 
the second class for another letter, which will be on the 
subject of eye-teaching. 

A child's love of hearing a story is too well known to 
you to need more than mention. " Tell me a story " is 
the universal plea from children; and, therefore, no in- 
struction given to little people would be complete with- 
out the story element. The most desirable stories for 
illustration are to be found in the Bible. It is of itself 
a " Christian Treasury." In these times the attention 



y6 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

of Bible students is being particularly directed to using 
the Bible as its own commentary. Many can say with 
Jeremiah, " Thy words were found, and I did eat them ; 
and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine 
heart." 

The way to make our nation a more Bible-loving and 
Bible-studying people is to begin a right course in child- 
hood. All that we can do as teachers to interest chil- 
dren in the Bible will tend toward the accomplishment 
of this. 

Bible stories are apt to have a sort of unreality about 
them to the minds of children. This is, perhaps, due 
somewhat to the difference of customs, names, etc., be- 
tween those times and our own time. And these stories 
have been so often repeated that it is hard to realize 
them, just as we do not realize the common blessings 
of life because they are so constantly bestowed. I have 
found it well to tell a Bible story, withholding all Bible 
names, (see Specimen Lesson on Jesus, the King,) and 
have thus been able to carry the interest and attention 
of the class until the end of the lesson, or to a point 
where I could lead the children to know for themselves 
that I was telling them something from the Bible. 

Second to Bible stories for illustrations are incidents 
which may be gathered from many sources — home-life, 
school-life, play, etc. 

These should never be told simply for amusement. 
They should enforce thought rather than make up for 
the lack of it. 

" An illustration is merely a channel which is dug, 
through which thought flows more easily into the mind, 



The Art of Illustration. 77 

and the channel is useless if the water of truth does 
not flow through it." 

Besides stories, another class of illustrations addressed 
to the ear are word-pictures. The following poem, by the 
" Poet of the Sierras," so beautiful that I have copied it 
for you, will give an idea of what I mean by word- 
pictures. A prominent daily paper says : " It makes 
us think of some canvas after Murillo or Rubens." 

Beyond Jordan. 

" And they came to him, mothers of Judah, 
Dark-eyed and in splendor of hair, 
Bearing down over shoulders of beauty, " 
And bosoms half hidden, half bare ; 

" And they brought him their babes and besought him, 
Half kneeling, with suppliant air, 
To bless the brown cherubs they brought him, 
With holy hands laid in their hair. 

" Then reaching his hands he said, lowly, 
' Of such is my kingdom ; ' and then 
Took the brown little babes in the holy 
White hands of the Saviour of men ; 

" Held them close to his heart and caress'd them, 
Put his face down to theirs, as in prayer ; 
Put their hands to his neck and so bless'd them, 
With baby hands hid in his hair." 

Does not the poem help you to see, better than you 
have ever seen it before, how it all must have been 
when Christ was blessing the little children ? If we can- 
not be poets, we can at least become teachers, who are 
able to make Bible incidents appear as vivid pictures 
to the imaginations of children. In word-picturing the 



78 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

pupil will acquire no more definite and vivid view of 
the lesson than the teacher himself possesses. 

The list of illustrations addressed to the ear would 
not be complete without allegory. I never realized how 
much an allegory could be to a child until I read Little 
Women, by Miss Alcott. You will remember how the 
lives of the four young girls were patterned after Pil- 
grim's Progress. At least this grand masterpiece of alle- 
gory should be studied by you, not only to gain illustra- 
tions, but also to help you make original illustrations of 
a similar character. I know of a mother who allegorizes 
the naughty ways of her young children by personifying 
them in mice and other animals. She thinks they are 
thus enabled to see themselves as others see them. 

As my next letter is to be devoted to the other de- 
partment of illustration — eye-teaching — I will occupy 
the remainder of this letter in suggesting how to acquire 
the art of illustration. 

Several excellent books of illustrations have been 
published for the use of Sunday-school teachers. These 
serve an important purpose, but more valuable than any 
book or collection of illustrations is the acquirement of 
the illustrating habit. This is to be gained by cultivat- 
ing the observing powers and by a course of reading. 
I know of a teacher who never sees or reads any thing 
which interests him without asking himself the ques- 
tion, " What can I illustrate by this ? " A good illus- 
tration is not given by him to a treacherous memory to 
keep, but is placed either in a repertory, or index rerum, 
or labeled envelopes, classified in a way to make it 
easily found when needed. 



The Art of Illustration. 79 

" What is it like ? " as an habitual question in con- 
nection with every lesson, will gather illustrations as a 
lodestone gathers about itself iron filings. Ask your- 
self the question, What is like this truth in the Bible ? 
What is like it in home life ? What is like it in nature ? 

A course of reading that would be most beneficial to 
prepare one's self to illustrate would include, first, the 
Bible ; second, sermons and essays written by persons 
celebrated for their illustrating habit, as Guthrie, Arnot, 
Spurgeon, Beecher, Talmage, and Newton ; third, hand- 
books on illustrative teaching, as The Art of Illustra- 
tion, by J. S. Fitch ; The Use of Illustration, by Jas. M. 
Freeman ; Illustrative Teaching, by W. H. Groser ; Art 
of Picturing, by W. H. Groser ; Through the Eye to the 
Heart, by W. F. Crafts. 

Finally, the best way to acquire the art of illustration 
is to be a thorough Christian at heart, for only that 
which has made its way from the head of the teacher to 
his heart and conscience will succeed in making an im- 
pression upon the conscience of the children. 

I like to think that an aptitude to teach others is a 
part of that living water which Jesus has promised. By 
his power the heart of a teacher may indeed become 
a fountain springing up into everlasting life in many 
souls. 

Yours, in loving service, S. J. C. 



8o Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



IX. 

Visible Illustration. 

Dear Teacher Friend : — The case before us now is 
Eye vs. Ear in teaching. A farmer told his man, Patrick, 
to feed the oxen with corn in the ear. He came back 
in a little while, saying, " Sure, sir, I did as ye tould 
me. I fed them with corn in the ear, but they shook it 
all out. Niver a bit of it could I get down." Perhaps 
you have had a somewhat similar experience in teach- 
ing little children. You have found that the lesson 
" went in at one ear and out at the other," or, perhaps, 
it has proved difficult to get any lesson at all into their 
ears. 

Horace, in giving directions to a dramatic writer, 
makes the remark that " those things which enter the 
mind through the ear make a less vivid impres- 
sion than those which enter through the eye." This 
holds true of all ages, but especially of the period of 
childhood. 

It is through observation that children gain the most 
of their early knowledge. The most observant child is 
usually the most intelligent. The eye is the principal 
agent in observation. The impressions gained through 
it are more numerous and more correct than those ac- 
quired through any other organ. 

The eye might well be called the king of attention, 
for where it leads attention will follow. A teacher has 



Visible Illustration. 8 1 

only to hold up an object, or touch the blackboard 
with a piece of chalk, and, whether he draws any thing 
or not, attention is arrested. During the last few years 
object lessons have become very popular in our public 
schools. The use of objects in the Sabbath and day- 
schools is for widely different purposes. In the day- 
school objects are introduced that the observing fac- 
ulties may be strengthened and general intelligence 
increased. 

As a practical result, " a child is made to see for it- 
self by the aroused activity of its intellect, to advance 
only as it comprehends, and to become accustomed to 
habits of self-command and confidence." 

In the Sunday-school object illustrations are given 
rather than object lessons, the object being employed 
only to teach spiritual truth by comparison and asso- 
ciation. When this is accomplished the object should 
be put out of sight or it will have just a contrary 
effect, diverting the attention rather than concentrat- 
ing it. 

I was once giving a lesson on the surety of God's 

promises. The first step was to ask the children to tell 

what a promise is ; secondly, to get them to tell of some 

promises they had made; thirdly, to inquire whether or 

not they had kept their promises ; fourthly, to take a 

fine thread from my pocket and snap it, to illustrate how 

easily their promises are broken ; fifthly, to recall some 

of God's promises ; sixthly, to take a wire from my 

pocket and vainly endeavoring to snap that, to illustrate 

that God's promises are not broken. In this example 

it will be seen that two object illustrations are given. 
6 



82 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

Truths thus associated with familiar objects are made 
plainer to the mind, and they are longer in the memory 
than when they are taught abstractly. Familiar ob- 
jects are thus made continual reminders of God. 

There may be excess in even so good a practice as 
this. Victor Hugo has said : " The excess of a good 
quality becomes a vice. The generous man is not far 
removed from the prodigal, or the prudent man from 
the miser." Excess in illustration would tend to mate- 
rialize truth. 

You ask, " When should object illustrations be intro- 
duced in the Sunday-school lesson ? " Some would 
say, in the beginning of the lesson ; others, when the 
lesson is two thirds taught. But no general rule can be 
given unless it be this : give illustrations when they 
are needed to make the truth clearer. " How can 
it be done ? " I will answer this question by giving 
some specimens which I have gleaned from a num- 
ber of my lessons. When telling about the rain- 
bow as a sign of the covenant between God and 
man, have a prism to throw the colors on the wall, 
where they can remain while you talk about them. Get 
the children to move their hands in the shape of the 
rainbow. 

When teaching that the pillar of fire was light to the 
Israelites, but darkness to the Egyptians in crossing 
the Red Sea, show a piece of paper red on one side 
and black on the other. When this lesson was taught 
in my class, I provided each one of my assistants with 
such a piece of paper. 

When describing the vail of the Tabernacle show 



Visible Illustration. 8$ 

some white linen, and blue, purple, and scarlet threads, 
and, if possible, a piece of embroidery done with these 
colors. 

In teaching the lesson about " Joseph making himself 
known to his brothers," to show that Joseph reminded 
his brothers of their wickedness not to punish them, but 
rather to make them love him more and despise evil, bring 
before the class a branch covered with leaves and a 
branch stripped of its leaves, and follow a line of ques- 
tioning and development similar to this : What is the 
difference between these two branches? One has 
leaves on it and the other has none. Which one 
might we call a whip ? [Children point.] Listen to the 
voices of the leaves, [The teacher shakes the branch 
with leaves.] Joseph wanted his brothers' thoughts 
about the wrong they had done to him to be like voices 
telling them not to do wrong any more, rather than like 
a whip, to give them sorrow. [Here some of the details 
of the story would be given.] As they went home 
their thoughts about the wrong they had done to 
Joseph [shaking the branch with leaves] made them 
very kind to Benjamin, and they did all they could to 
keep harm from coming to him. [Let the scene now 
be described when Joseph sent every one out of the 
room save his brothers, when he made himself known.] 
Did Joseph want their thoughts of him to be like a 
whip, or like a branch with leaves ? 

I think he wanted to take their thoughts about him 
and make them into crowns of love to wear around 
their hearts. [Let the teacher hold the branch of leaves 
in the form of a crown.] God wants our thoughts about 



84 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

the wrong we have done to be not like whips, giving us 
sorrow, but like voices, telling us not to do so any more. 
God has forgiven us our sins for Jesus' sake, and, of 
course, he does not wish to punish us for them, but he 
wants to make a crown of love for us to wear around 
our hearts out of the memory of our sins. 

In teaching about a walled city, Jericho, for instance, 
set up a toy village with a high row of blocks around it, 
and explain the similarities and contrast between the 
toy city and the walled city. 

In teaching about the twelve stones which were set 
up in Gilgal as a monument of God's mercies to the 
Israelites, and applying the same thought to our re- 
membrance of God's mercies to us, procure twelve 
marble chips. Write on them : Jesus Christ, The Com- 
forter, The Bible, Heaven, Life, Prayer, Forgiveness, 
Home, Friends, Reason, Food, Clothing, and let them 
be set up as a monument before the class. 

Let a little boy about three years old — he will proba- 
bly have long hair — be placed before the class to illus- 
trate Samuel's age and size when his mother took him 
to the tabernacle to be trained as a servant to the 
Lord. 

When teaching about deaf mutes cured by Christ, you 
may find a deaf mute who is willing to come into the 
class and show the children how powerless he is either 
to hear or to talk. 

Illustrate the blessing of sight by showing an opera 
glass and telling what it enables us to do. Show how it 
must be regulated, then tell that each child has a more 
wonderful pair of glasses, with which he can see things 



Visible Illustration. 85 

both near and far, and which are self-regulating, self- 
cleansing, and beautiful in color. Tell the children that 
these " glasses " are their eyes. 

To illustrate God's love by comparison with man's 
love, the following order of development may be used. 
If you should see a ball as large as this whole room, 
would it seem large or small to you ? See what a little 
ball I have in my hand, [a very small round seed.] 
Our love to God is like this little seed, but God's love 
for us is greater than a ball as large as this room would 
be. 

To explain Jesus' name, " Light," illustrate as follows : 
How many of you have tried to look at the sun ? Do 
you think you could look right at the sun while I 
could count twenty ? Do you know of any thing as bright 
or even brighter than the sun ? [They do not.] I do. 
Jesus in heaven before he came down to die for us, and 
Jesus in heaven now. He was and is brighter than the 
sun. When Jesus came from heaven his shining was 
all shut up in a body like yours and mine. While 
Jesus was here among men there was one time when 
his God-light shone through his body and his clothes 
too. How well his name of Light fitted him then. 
This illustration was used in a lesson on the transfigura- 
tion. 

When teaching a lesson on the feeding of the multi- 
tude, bring before the class five loaves made to repre- 
sent oriental bread. A very good imitation can be made 
by mixing Graham flour and coarse Indian meal and 
bran with water, rolling the dough thin and cutting out 
some round cakes, which should be about ten inches in 



86 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

diameter and half an inch in thickness. They should 
be dried rather tnan baked in a slow oven. 

A lesson on humility might be illustrated in the fol- 
lowing manner : What can you make ? " A kite, a boat, 
a doll," etc. Endeavor here to recall the pride which 
has filled their hearts when they have succeeded in 
making any thing. 

How many of you have heard the sweet music which 
the organ makes ? Why does it not make music now ? 
No one is playing on it. Is it right, then, to say that the 

organ makes the music ? Now Miss will play on 

the organ. How does she help the organ to make 
music ? She puts air into it and moves the keys. Each 
one of you is somewhat like an organ. Who gives you 
air ? " God." What do you call it ? " Breath." And it 
is God who teaches your hands how to move to make 
things. He tells you how, and puts strength into your 
hands to work. Even men and women could do noth- 
ing themselves. God helps every body. Just as the 
organ cannot make music by itself, so no one can do 
any kind of work unless God helps. What if the organ 
could talk and should say, "What beautiful music I can 
make ! " Would that be true ? What should it say ? 

" What beautiful music Miss can make on me ! " 

You told me a little while ago that you were proud when 
you made any thing that was nice ; is it right for you to 
feel proud and say, " How great I am ! " What should 
you say instead ? " How great God is that he can show 
me how to do these things ! " 

In teaching how we have " freedom by the truth," re- 
fer to the slavery of the colored people, then show a 



Visible Illustration. 87 

facsimile of the Emancipation Proclamation, or a large 
sheet of paper with the following words written upon 
it : "I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States 
... do order and declare that all persons held as slaves 
. . . are, and henceforward shall be free." Tell the 
children about the results of that document upon the 
condition of the slaves. Teach them then that they 
are Satan's slaves when they do wrong. Jesus wants to 
make them free. Hold up the Bible as Jesus' Emanci- 
pation Proclamation, and read from it how we may be 
made free ; " the truth shall make you free," that is, by 
trying to do as the Bible teaches us we become God's 
free children. 

Let us now pass to the other department of Visible 
Illustrations : pictures, and blackboard work. I have 
in my home a copy of The Child's Bible, a quarto vol- 
ume, which contains one hundred and fifteen full page 
illustrations, and as many, if not more, half-page pict- 
ures. It has been invaluable to me in giving vividness 
to my ideas of Bible. events, and has, therefore, been a 
great help to me in my preparations to teach the little 
children. In some instances I have taken the pictures 
into my class. Such a Bible would be a perfect delight 
to a child. He could, by aid of the pictures, gain a 
pretty good knowledge of the Bible before learning to 
read. I once heard Dr. Arnot say that it is the habit 
of the world to read the pictures in God's book instead 
of the words. The lives of Christians are those pictures. 
You will readily recall instances where this has been so, 
and where God's cause has suffered through the example 
of some unfaithful Christian. But this is not the point 



88 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

I wish to emphasize. You can frequently find pictures 
to illustrate your lessons in commentaries, Bible diction- 
aries, and in books on Bible manners and customs. I 
have several times been much gratified by seeing my 
assistant teachers bring in these small pictures to illus- 
trate the lesson to their little classes. For such purpose 
a picture scrap-book would be almost invaluable. Ma- 
terial for it could be gleaned from newspapers, maga- 
zines, and various other sources. 

Such pictures are apt to be small, and, therefore, use- 
less to the Primary Superintendent to show to the whole 
class. But such a collection would be very suggestive, 
and pictures or parts of pictures might sometimes be 
copied from it on a large scale upon the blackboard. 

There have been published on large sheets pictures 
representing some few Bible scenes in the style of black- 
board outlines, which, if pinned to the blackboard, can- 
not be distinguished from an actual chalk drawing a few 
feet away. 

There will also be occasions when you will need 
to make use of the blackboard. 

To say " that you cannot draw " is no argument by 
which to excuse yourself from doing so. If we take 
advantage of the imaginative powers of children we 
shall find that it will answer nearly as well to represent 
people, journeys, and places by dots and lines as by 
elaborate pictures. Do you not remember that rows of 
broken bits of dishes, arranged in a little cupboard which 
you made out of blocks and stones, were like so many 
rows of China in a handsome sideboard to the eyes of 
your imagination as a child ? You have seen chairs con- 



Visible Illustration. 



89 



verted into a railway train with perfect satisfaction, and 
probably, too, you have seen a journey undertaken with 
a hobby-horse, or a saw-horse, accompanied by all the 
enjoyment and perplexities of a real trip. If we take 
advantage of this peculiarity of the child's mind, it will 
be a comparatively easy task to make good and efficient 
use of the blackboard, although we cannot draw well. 

As additional encouragement I will give you a few 
examples of simple blackboard work, taken from some 
of my lessons. 

Print Gen. ix, 13, in the shape of a rainbow when 
teaching about that sign of God's covenant. 




Make innumerable dots to represent manna when 
teaching about God feeding the Israelites in the wil- 
derness. 

Draw a line representing the journey of 
the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan, thus: 

When the course of lessons was the Is- 
raelites' journey from Egypt to Canaan, 
this line was placed by degrees upon the 
blackboard or slates of the assistant teachers until it 
was complete. Very many of the children learned to 
draw it, and at the Quarterly Review they were able 
to locate the different places about which they had 




90 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



learned. At that time a red mark was drawn across 
the journey line to represent the Red Sea ; a little 
green branch was drawn at Marah ; dots representing 
manna located the Desert of Sin. A flag was drawn 
to represent Rephidim, where the Israelites fought with 
Amalek ; the two tables of stone at Mount Sinai ; a 
small straight line to represent a stick in Moses' rod at 
Kadesh ; a serpent at a point midway between Mount 
Hor and Ezion-geber; and a bunch of grapes at Mount 
Nebo to represent the place from which Moses looked 
over into the Promised Land and saw that it was a'land 
of plenty. 

In teaching about the passover draw a door and 
frame, and put some red marks on them to represent 
the blood which the Israelites were instructed to put 
upon the door posts and the lintel. 

In teaching the significance of the passover make a 
cross thus — 




witli the motto, " Christ our passover is sacrificed for us," 
on it ; or, if you prefer it, the figure of a lamb, with the 
motto, " Behold the Lamb of God," as an explanation 
of the words, " Christ our passover is sacrificed for us." 
If you cannot draw the lamb you can get some one to 
draw it for you, or paste a picture on the blackboard. 



Visible Illustration. 



91 



When teaching about the mountains of blessing and 
cursing, Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, draw the out- 
line of two mountains with a valley between. Make an 
application of the lesson by printing upon Mount Ebal 
the seven things which the Lord hates, and upon Mount 
Gerizim the eight things which he blesses, thus : — 



GOD HATES : 



A proud 
look. 
'A lying tongue, 
Killing hands, 
A wicked heart. 
A false witness. 
An adulterous eye. 



GOD BLESSES 




To illustrate the lesson about the four lepers who sat 
at the gate of Samaria draw a square to represent the 
city, leave an open place for the gate, and make four 
dots by the gate for the lepers. 

In teaching how it may be possible to live right in 
the sight of God, tell, first, the story of the widow whose 
little pot of oil Elisha caused to increase until it filled 
all of the empty jars which she had brought in from her 
neighbors' houses. She then sold the oil and paid her 
debts. Draw on the blackboard a row of seven jars, 
di awing a small heart above them. Then make use of 
them in the following manner: — Here is a little jar for 
each day in the week. Tell me what letter to put un- 
der each line, S, M, T, W, T, F, S. [Then point to 
the heart.] From that we are to fill each day [pointing 



92 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

to the jars] with goodness. " Could the widow fill her 
empty jars with the small quantity of oil which she had 
in her little pot ? Do you think you have enough good- 
ness in your heart to fill all of the days ? " "Yes." "Let 
us think about this. How many of you have sometimes 
promised your fathers and mothers that you would be 
good all day ? Try to remember now. In a little while 
were you not doing wrong and feeling very sorry about 
it ? You surely did not have enough goodness in your 
heart to fill that day ? I will make a picture of all the 
goodness you had. [Represent the jar about half full.] 
If we pray to God to help us do right he will send his 
Holy Spirit into our hearts, and we shall then be able 
to fill all of the days full of goodness, for the Holy 
Spirit will bring God's goodness to us." [Represent all 
the days as full by rapid use of the chalk on all the 
jars.] 

In teaching the lesson about David and Goliath, to 
give an idea of Goliath's size draw on the blackboard a 
shoe and a hand twice the size of those belonging to a 
man of ordinary size. When telling about the weapons 
which David used in the combat with Goliath, show the 
children a sling cut of sheep-skin of an elliptic shape, 
five inches long and three inches wide, with a coarse 
leather string, three yards long, passed through holes at 
each end. Show also a stone to fit it. 

I will now give one more illustration of simple black- 
board work which can be applied to many different les- 
sons. It is a portion of my lesson on Ruth and Naomi. 
" I wish we had some large and beautiful pictures for our 
lesson to-day, but as I could not get them we will ''pre- 



Visible Illustration. 



93 



tend' that we have some, and I will make some frames 
for them. [Drawing the outlines below.] 



Three widows, 


Naomi, Euth, and 


Orpah, walking to- 


gether from the land 


of idols to the land 


where God was wor- 


shiped. 



Naomi kissing 
Euth and Orpah, and 
trying to get them 
to go back to their 
friends and let her 
go alone. 



Orpah turning back, 

Euth cleaving to Naomi, 

saying, Entreat me not to leave 

thee nor to return from 

following after thee, 

etc. 



Naomi and Euth 
coming into Bethle- 
hem all the people 
looking with wonder 
at Naomi, whom they 
had not seen for ten 
years. 



They came to Beth- 
lehem in the begin- 
ning of barley -har- 
vest. Men were cut- 
ting and gathering it 
into sli eaves and maid- 
ens were gleaning. 



The words in the above outlines are not to be written, 
but to be repeated by the teacher. The success of the 
method will depend upon the ability of the teacher to 
control the imaginative faculties of the children. Make 
the ideal real ; point to a place for the persons and 
things mentioned. This will give " to airy nothings a 
local habitation and a name." 

The greater part of the examples which I have given 
may be used by assistant teachers, who will draw them 



94 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

upon slates instead of the blackboard. I hope you will 
see to it that each one of your assistants is provided 
with a slate as one of the necessary equipments. 

It is much the best plan to do all blackboard work in 
the presence of the class, as children take great delight 
in seeing any thing drawn, and besides attention will 
be thus collected as I have already intimated. But if 
the drawing and printing cannot be done rapidly it had 
better be made before the class comes together, and 
kept covered up untilthe time for it to be used. If 
this is not done, the illustration will be found, when the 
time comes for using it, to be like an uncorked bottle of 
perfumery from which all the fragrance has evaporated. 

Before closing this letter I want to give one caution 
about the use of the blackboard. It is altogether wrong 
to associate God's truth with deformity. It will be 
hard for a child ever afterward to think of it as beauti- 
ful. I have seen blackboard work which reflected 
ridicule rather than light upon a lesson. Therefore, 
unless you can draw well, or can learn to draw well, I 
would advise you to get some one to draw for you, and 
to attempt nothing more complicated than dots and 
letters yourself. 

Yours, in loving service, S. J. C. 



The Culture of Benevolence. 95 



X. 

The Culture of Benevolence.* 

Dear Teacher Friend : — What do you suppose a 
child thinks about the money which he brings to your 
class ? 

" Here, Johnny, is a cent to take to Sunday-school," 
says a mother to her little boy. 

As Johnny skips along he wonders what the cent is 
for ; he has never thought of it before ; perhaps it is to 
buy candy for the teacher, or perhaps it is to pay for 
getting in. Johnny remembers that when his papa took 
him to the circus he had to pay for him to get in. It 
occurs to him that he will ask the teacher what the 
money is for, but there is no chance, and so he drops 
it quietly into the collection box. The act has less pur- 
pose in it than if he had thrown a leaf upon the stream, 
for he would have stood to watch what became of that. 
Do you and I not know that this aimless giving is what 
to-day constitutes in the majority of primary classes the 
culture of benevolence ? " There is no more benefi- 
cence in the transaction than there would be in drop- 
ping in so many buttons." Even worse than this is the 
plan I have sometimes seen carried out, by which the 
money brought by the children is devoted to the pur- 
chase of their own books and papers. 

I have heard that a school which raised fifty dollars 

* See also " Specimen Lesson on the Widow's Mites." 



g6 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

last year sent five of them to the mission work and kept 
forty-five for their own support ! 

Call it, then, the culture of selfishness, and let no one 
suppose that children thus trained will be developed 
into the generous Christians who would be willing 
to sell all that they have and give it to the poor, if so 
the word of the Lord should come to them. Between 
neglect at home and indefiniteness in the Sunday- 
school the child is in danger of growing up without 
a knowledge of the blessedness of giving, and that 
love of the Father which is promised to the cheerful 
giver. 

Why should children be taught to give ? 

Because we have the " Church of the future " in our 
molding hands to-day. 

There are usually three motives presented for Chris- 
tian giving : pity, duty, and profit. 

That higher purpose suggested in some Churches in 
the use of the expression, " Let us continue the praise 
of God by passing the contribution box," is frequently- 
forgotten. Instead of looking at the contribution box 
in this noble light, it is more generally considered a 
necessary evil, " Something of the world brought, from 
dire necessity, into the Church." 

Should not the worshiper see as much beauty in ex- 
pressing his thanks to God by an offering as by prayer and 
song ? " The fruit of our lips, and the fruit of our labors, 
are equally acceptable to God, else why did he train 
his chosen people to give tithes of all they had, and to 
consider their worship incomplete until they had given 
thank-offerings ? Let us do oar part toward preventing 



The Culture of Benevolence. 97 

* The Church of the future ' from having the selfish ideas 
of Christian benevolence entertained by the Church of 
the present." 

Children should be taught : 1. That God is the owner 
of all things. 2. That whatever a person has, God in- 
trusts to him to keep a little while until death, when it 
must be intrusted to some one else. 3. That we ought 
to return to God a part of the things intrusted to us ; 
that a tenth is what God asked his ancient people 
to give him 4. That the Bible designates a time 
when God's dues should be paid — " the first day of the 
week." 

Let the children be made to realize that, as in the 
day when the widow came with her two mites to God's 
treasury, so to-day, Jesus is looking upon our gifts. 
They should also be made to realize Christ's great and 
generous gift to them : " Ye know the grace of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes 
he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be 
rich." 

" To be a cheerful giver one must somehow know the 
worth of the thing given." 

What means for getting money shall be suggested to 
the children, that they may know something about the 
worth of what they bestow ? A good plan is to ask them 
to earn what they give to God. But there is an objec- 
tion to doing this, as it sometimes necessitates payment 
for little services which it is their duty to render at 
home ; or, perhaps, they are paid for being good. My 
ideal plan would be to have the children taught in the 
home some industry by which a little money could be 



98 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

made. But if that does not seem practicable, perhaps 
the teacher might secure the co-operation of the parents 
to the degree that they would give their children a small 
amount each week to spend for specified things, with 
the understanding that a portion should be given to be- 
nevolence. A wise use of money, and Christian charity, 
would thus be taught at the same time. 

The delight which a child feels in contributing of his 
earnings is illustrated by the following incident : Said a 
boy, eight years old, the other day, " I have made eleven 
cents by selling pins, shoe laces, and such little things. 
Did you know I have a store in grandpa's office ? " At 
a meeting when a collection was called for, this little 
fellow whispered in the ear of one of the collectors, 
" Put me down for two cents. I can pay it." 

Another method of teaching " the worth of the thing 
given " is to explain to the children beforehand what is 
to be done with the money, instead of asking them in the 
usual way to give to the " collection." Afterward let a 
report be made about the use of the money. It is well 
to ask each Sabbath, or before taking the collection, 
what is the money for, which you have brought to-day ? 
A regular statement by the treasurer is demanded by 
adult givers. Such a statement made to the children, 
including an account of what has been done with their 
money, would not only stimulate them to give more, but 
would cultivate an interest in all good works. 

Children should be taught to give with a definite pur- 
pose. In my own judgment there are no objects of 
benevolence so appropriate for them to be trained in 
supporting as those adopted by the Church, for thus 



The Culture of Benevolence. 99 

they will early become identified with its interests, and 
their hearts will be closely united with it in sympathy. 
There must, of course, be much explanation, on the 
part of the teacher, so that each cause presented will be 
understood. 

There is no place so holy that Satan would be abashed 
to enter, and no grace is too Christ-like for him to blow 
his foul breath upon. Why, he even tries to make us 
proud of our humility ! And in some cases I have seen 
him use Sunday-school teachers as instruments for train- 
ing children to bestow their gifts to be seen of men. 
The children are told that on next Sabbath the mis- 
sionary concert will occur, and they must bring their 
offerings — their pennies for the missionary cause. They 
are exhorted to remember it by motives of banners, 
medals, etc. When the time comes, and the different 
amounts have been collected, the Superintendent an- 
nounces that class No. 1, the Busy Buzzers, have raised 
the largest amount of money this month, and are entitled 
to the banner. Is not this a doubtful way of developing 
the unselfish feelings of the heart ? In sweet contrast 
to it is the following : A little girl, who loved her Sav- 
iour very much for having so loved her, came to her 
clergyman with eighteen shillings for a missionary so- 
ciety. 

" How did you collect so much ? Is it all your own ? " 
the clergyman asked. 

4< Yes, sir; I earned it." 

" But how, Mary — you are so poor ? " 

" Please, sir, when I thought how Jesus had died for 
me, I wanted to do something for him, and I heard how 



ioo Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

money was wanted to send the good news out to the 
heathen, and as I had no money of my own, I earned 
this by collecting rain-water and selling it to washer- 
women for a penny a bucket. That is how I got the 
money, sir." 

" My dear child," said the clergyman, " I am very 
thankful that your love to your Saviour has led you to 
work so long and patiently for him ; now I shall gladly 
put down your name as a missionary subscriber." 

" O ! no, sir, please ; not my name." 

" Why not, Mary ? " 

" Please, sir, I would rather no one knew but Him ; 
I should like it to be put down as rain from heaven! " 

The child should be taught also to give systematic- 
ally. Benevolence should become to him a habit rather 
than a matter of impulse. 

A noble example of what a school may do, which is 
trained to systematic and intelligent giving, is that of the 
Fourteenth-street Presbyterian Church of New York 
City, Mr. Frank A. Ferris, Superintendent. For the 
last sixteen years it has given an annual average of 
$1,000. Out of an average attendance for one year of 
one hundred and forty-seven, (exclusive of a large pri- 
mary class, which also contributed regularly,) one hun- 
dred and forty-four brought a weekly offering. These 
donations were entirely for the support of missions. 

The record of the amount of missionary money is kept 
with the same regularity as the record of attendance ; 
indeed, the attendance is marked by the amount of mis- 
sionary money brought. A large and durable envelope, 
containing a paper for the list of names, is provided for 



The Culture of Benevolence. I o I 

each class. Opposite the names are spaces for the dates 
of the Sabbaths in one quarter, and a large space for the 
scholars' residences. Each Sabbath, when the attend- 
ance is taken, the missionary money is collected, and 
the amount which each child has brought is checked off 
against his name. If he has been careless and forgotten 
his money, a cipher marks his presence. All absentees 
are indicated by the space being left blank. At the foot 
of the space for each Sunday the amount of missionary 
money is written, and also the number of absentees. 
The money is then put into the envelope with the class 
list, and laid aside to be collected by the secretary at an 
appropriate time. One excellent feature about Mr. Fer- 
ris's system is that there is also a space provided in the 
class list for the teacher to keep an account of the mis- 
sionary money he brings. In this, as in all other things, 
nothing speaks more effectively than example. 

Let us teach our little pupils that " The great privilege 
of possession is the right to bestow." 

Yours, in loving service, S. J. C. 



102 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



XL 

Teaching Little Children to Sing. 

Dear Teacher Friend : — The opportunity for learn- 
ing new pieces in the Sunday-school, which, in primary 
classes, must always be done by rote, is very limited. 
The mothers in the homes might greatly facilitate the 
work if they would undertake to teach their little 
ones the sentiments and words of songs indicated by 
the teacher. By this means the children would be 
better prepared to understand what they sing than by 
the usual way. It is to be feared that parents and 
teachers do not sufficiently realize the confusion of 
ideas in the minds of children, resulting from a failure 
to understand what they sing. 

A little child was heard singing about his home, 
" He taught me how to wash and pray." Must he not 
have had a very singular idea of Christ's relation to 
him? 

In direct contrast to this is the following incident 
from the revival in England : — 

" A milk-boy on his rounds was heard by a lady 
(herself converted through one of Mr. Moody's ad- 
dresses) singing one of Mr. Sankey's hymns. The lady 
said to the boy, ' Those are very solemn words you 
have been singing; do you think of them as you sing, 
and do you understand them ?' Then such a great 
change came over the boy's face, and he said, ' That I 



Teaching Little Children to Sing. 103 

do, ma'am, and I sing them as I go my rounds, hoping 
that just a word or two may fall into some one's ears.' 
Surely the missionary spirit in this lad will be blessed. 
That is, indeed, ' sowing seed in the morning and in the 
evening not withholding the hand.' Shall it not pros- 
per? Shall not even this little child of God win jewels 
for the Redeemer's crown ? " 

Children should be taught " to sing with the spirit and 
with the understanding." In accomplishing this some 
simple illustration, an object, perhaps, or a rough sketch 
on the blackboard, will frequently assist. By this means 
the sentiment of the hymn to be learned will be im- 
pressed. For example, in teaching the song — 

" When children give their hearts to God 
'Tis pleasing in his eyes ; 
A flower when offered in the bud 
Is no vain sacrifice." 

Let the teacher provide herself with a full-blown rose 
and a rosebud. By questioning, the children may be 
led to tell that the rose will soon fall to pieces, but that 
the bud will last some time, so that we can enjoy its 
sweetness much longer. Then the heart of childhood 
may be compared to the bud, and the heart in old age to 
the rose. God wants us to give him our hearts. When 
shall we do it — when they are like the bud or like the 
rose ? Surely while we are young, so that he may long 
have our love and service. 

In teaching " Jewels," we may ask, " What do we call 
persons who wear crowns ? " Let us see what a crown 
looks like. [The teacher draws one or shows a pict- 
ure.] What are set in the crown to sparkle ? [Show 



104 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

rings containing jewels.] I know of a King who wants 
different jewels for his crown : — 

" Little children, little children 
Who love their Redeemer 
Are the jewels," etc. 

Who is this King ? Jewels shine, so shall those whom 
Jesus gathers for his crown. 

" Like the stars of the morning, 
His bright crown adorning, 
They shall shine in their beauty, 
Bright gems for his crown." 

When will Jesus gather his jewels? "When he Com- 
eth, when he cometh." Yes, Jesus is coming again some 
day. May you all be his, dear children, " in that day 
when he comes to make up his jewels ! " 

In this connection it might not be inappropriate to 
give a few thoughts about the character of the songs or 
hymns which children should sing, and the manner of 
singing them. You probably think as we do, that a good 
primary-class song should contain Gospel truth instead 
of pretty jingle. Simple and silly are two qualities 
which get strangely confused in the minds of those who 
write for little children. The compass should not be 
high; Dr. Tourjee says "never above E flat." A 
strain upon young voices renders singing any thing but 
a pleasure, also destroying all musical effect. Dr. T. 
suggests also that a lady should lead children in sing- 
ing, because her tones will give the proper pitch ; a 
gentleman's voice, even when singing soprano, usually 
being pitched one octave lower than the children should 
sing. 



Teaching Little Children to Sing. 105 

The song should be cheerful both in the spirit of the 
words and in the music. I cannot soon forget the dole- 
ful impression made upon me by hearing a large class 
of happy-hearted little children singing in Sunday- 
school, "I'm a child of sin and woe." It was like a 
whip-poor-will's note in the throat of a chirping wren. 

Whenever it is possible the primary-class song should 
be accompanied by motions. The change of position 
which children require is thus provided for, and the 
consequent stirring is in order, rather than a matter in- 
viting reproof. And then, you know, it is an old estab- 
lished rule, that " the more senses employed, the clearer 
will be the child's idea." So when the children are 
permitted to exercise in motions what they are singing, 
they will feel and know more deeply what they sing ; for 
example, if they sing about the breath, which God sends 
them, let them place their hands where they can feel 
that breath ; if they sing about their hearts, which God 
keeps in motion, let them place their hands where they 
can feel the beating of their hearts; if they sing about 
the snow, let their hands represent the snow-flakes, and 
teach them to imitate the falling of the snow; if they 
sing of the rain, teach them to imitate its pattering, by 
tapping with their finger tips upon a hard surface. 

And now as to the manner of singing. A good order 
to observe in teaching a new song is, 1. To gain the 
children's interest in it by singing it yourself, or getting 
some one to sing it for you. 2. To hold a conversation 
with the children about its sentiments. 3. To sing one 
line alone, then repeat it immediately with the children 
accompanying, and after a few lines have been thus 



io6 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

learned, to sing them through together. 4. To encour- 
age the children to sing without the teacher's help. 

Teach them to sing conscientiously, since only the 
best of any thing is fit to be offered to God. Many 
times this worshipful element is entirely left out; and 
if children think at all why they sing they conclude 
that it is to please either the teacher or themselves. It 
would be well to keep the idea of praise to God con- 
tinually before them by such reminders as the following, 
when the music is not going well : God likes you to 
think about what you are singing: I believe that God 
likes gentle, sweet sounds, rather than such loud, harsh 
ones : God does not like a lazy way of doing things for 
him, so you must sing a little quicker : God's little 
birds make more music than you do ; certainly you can 
sing as well for him as they. Sometimes this worship- 
ful element is lost sight of in the endeavor to please 
visitors and friends, who always delight to hear the 
children sing ; or the purpose may be forgotten in too 
frequent singing. We are told to " pray without ceas- 
ing," but a primary class cannot sing without ceasing, 
as is sometimes the case, without degenerating into an 
exhibition singing school. 

Children should sit or stand well when they sing. 
They should be told that their lungs are somewhat 
like sponges, and that when they sit or stand bent up 
their lungs are so crushed together that they cannot 
" sing best for God." They should sing with a quick 
utterance, thus avoiding the miserable habit of dragging. 
Tell them to make their voices skip when they sing; 
by this a jerky manner is not meant. They should be 



Teaching Little Children to Sing. 107 

in a cheerful mood. " I'm saddest when I sing," is not 
a desirable condition for children, at least ; neither 
have we much sympathy with the sentiment, "Birds 
that wont sing must be made to sing." It is promotive 
of the cheerful mood to give the children a choice of 
what they will sing. This could not be recommended 
as an invariable rule, for while they may be happiest in 
singing what they like best, the selections might not be 
best adapted to the occasion.* 

Yours, in loving service, S. J. C. 

* I suppose that, like myself, you have felt the lack of a suffi- 
cient number of appropriate songs to teach to the little ones. 
Very few are to be found in any one book of music, not enough to 
supply all that would be required in a class or in a home. In con- 
junction with Miss Jenny B. Merrill, I have prepared a singing book 
for the Primary Class and the home. It contains about one hundred 
and ninety pieces, partly original, and the remainder " winnowed " 
from a large number of singing books. It is called, " Songs for Lit- 
tle Folks," and is published by Biglow & Main, 76 East Ninth- 
street, New York city. Price, 25 cents. 



io8 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



XII. 

The Teacher's Social Work. 

Dear Teacher Friend : — Doubtless you have some- 
times felt the pain of being unrecognized when your 
heart has gushed forth in friendly greeting, even though 
a personal slight was not intended. Dislike, however, 
would have been hardly less complimentary than the in- 
difference which caused forgetfulness. We must know, 
then, how to pity our little pupils when we meet them on 
the street or elsewhere, and, in answer to their smiling 
gladness at seeing us, ask the cold question, " What is 
your name ? " Perhaps when the name is spoken it 
does not bring back any memory of the child. It seems 
to me the first and most important part of the teacher's 
social work is to learn the names of her pupils. You 
say you have a large class of three hundred children, 
and meeting them, as you do, for an hour each week, 
you have no opportunity to learn their names and faces. 
Would it not be well to set yourself the task of learning 
at least six names each Sabbath ? 

The teacher's social work does not consist alone in 
learning names, but in learning the characters of chil- 
dren as well. Attempting to teach a child without 
knowing his temptations and surroundings is somewhat 
like a game at blind-man's-buff, the teacher having the 
bandage over her eyes. Unlike that, it is not an inno- 
cent game, but an almost hopeless struggle to find souls. 



The Teacher's Social Work. 109 

No teacher should assume the guardianship of souls 
without a willingness to seek their needs and supply 
the requisite help. No one would do less in the care 
of a body ; why should they do less in the care of a 
soul? One hour on the Sabbath will not suffice to do 
full duty. A faithful teacher will find that hour to be 
the smallest part of the work. A devoted primary 
teacher once told me that she made on an average thirty 
calls a week on as many members of her class. And 
this she did although a faithful housekeeper, and the 
busy mother of three little children. 

Two absent marks against a name should indicate 
that a visit ought to be made at once. Even then, 
sometimes the death angel will have made the visit 
before the teacher. One day a teacher's class was small, 
and in looking over the names of her pupils she came 
to one with six marks against her name. " Ungrateful 
child ! when I do so much to make it pleasant for her," 
was the remark made. Alas ! she did not know (being 
so neglectful of duty) that for four long weeks the sod 
had covered the face of that pupil. 

A faithful superintendent is in the habit of placing 
the following blank in his teachers' class books where 
he discovers there are absentees : — 

SCATTERGOOD S. S. 187 . 

M 

. residence 



has been absent from your class weeks. Have 

you done all you can and ought for this scholar ? Will you lose this 
one from your class ? Please report on this card reason of absence, 
whether you have visited, and what you recommend to be done. 

H. C. H., Superintendent. 



no Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

But the teacher should not visit like a physician ; 
there should be calls made just to carry sunshine when 
the children are well. Yes, to carry sunshine and to 
get it also, for in the joy of such loving service one will 
find himself not the giver only, but the receiver as well. 
In a certain district where I was accustomed to visit, it 
was usual for the children to follow me from one house 
to the other. Sometimes this increasing force numbered 
as high as fifteen, all laughing for very delight. Surely 
such an experience was abundant reward for my efforts. 

If you have not become used to this pastoral calling 
you will wonder what to do when you enter a home. 
Ask for the mother as well as the child, (the child will 
probably have little or nothing to say and act very shy;) 
notice the baby if there is one ; ask your little pupil 
to let you see her box of treasures, (among which you 
will find many of your own gifts of cards, papers, etc. ;) 
invite the mother to visit the class, and leave a gift for 
your little friend — a bit of candy, a picture card, or some 
trifle. If the child should not be at home, after a brief 
call with the mother leave your card. I have seen my 
card that had thus been left brought to the class and 
exhibited with great satisfaction, although in a crumpled 
and soiled condition. It is as important that the chil- 
dren be invited to the teacher's home, as that they shall 
be visited in their own homes. I never enjoyed a 
thanksgiving story more than one which appeared in 
the Sunday-School Times, about a teacher's thanksgiving 
dinner to the boys of her Sunday-school class. If the 
class should be too large to invite to tea, or a thanks- 
giving dinner, or at any one time, it would be found 



The Teacher 's Social Work. ill 

very convenient to have a " children's hour " each week, 
perhaps from three to four on Saturday afternoon, when 
the children would be free to call upon their teacher 
and find pleasant entertainment in looking at pictures, 
listening to music and stories, the interview to be 
closed by prayer. 

In carrying out your social work as a teacher, I won- 
der if you have ever tried bird-parties, grape-parties, 
orange-parties, etc. The plan was suggested to me by 
Mr. Moody when teaching the Primary Class in his 
Sunday-school. Some of the children came from mis- 
erable homes, and it was desirable to put some cheer 
into their lives, which they could not have gained in 
any other way. These gatherings were held in the 
basement of the church on Saturday mornings. Since 
then I have held one in my own house, which I will 
describe to you. The k< bird party " was announced 
from the pulpit, so that the mothers would understand 
that the little people were wanted at the parsonage. It 
was the event of the week to which the children looked 
forward from Monday until Saturday. They came 
promptly at the hour appointed, each bringing a little 
bunch of flowers to decorate the church on the follow- 
ing Sunday, as all the classes were accustomed to do in 
turn. A number of stuffed birds had been procured, 
which, together with the skeleton of a bird, formed inter- 
esting material for a little talk by the teacher, who tried 
to impress upon the children many lessons about God's 
goodness to "the fowls of the air." Then each child 
was given a chromo of one of the birds ; all of which 
were birds of the Bible. The chromos came in pack- 



H2 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

ages of twelve, and cost only fifty cents per dozen. An 
hour was spent in play, and the children went home 
with loving thoughts of God, after such bright glances 
at his handiwork. 

It is not to be wondered at that I should write such a 
long letter on so social a subject, and I shall be quite 
satisfied if you receive as much pleasure and profit from 
reading the letter as I have had in writing it. 

Yours, in loving service, S. J. C 



The Home and the Class. 113 



XIII. 

The Home and the Class. 

Dear Teacher Friend : — A song that I used to sing 
in childhood floats through my memory this morning. 
The school children sang in chorus, " ech — o, ech — o," 
and in a distant room, a single sweet voice repeated, 
" ech — o, ech — o." From childhood until the present 
time, I have delighted to call out among the hills, and 
receive an answer from that mysterious being which 
fancy always pictures as very large and very saucy, so 
ready is he to pick up your slightest word and " mock 
you " as the children say. 

As a teacher there are yet other echoes for which I 
listen — listen with deep earnestness of soul. They come 
to me from the lips of parents, and they sound some- 
what like the following : " Every day during the week 
Annie told us something new about the lesson of last 
Sunday ; it seemed to be in her thoughts continually." 
If parents only realize how grateful such words are to 
the teacher they would speak them oftener ; they would 
be in the habit of doing it. 

There is the closest possible relation existing be- 
tween the home and the class, and yet, more frequently 
than otherwise, they are not on " visiting terms." How 
many of the parents of your little pupils have you ever 
welcomed to your class room ? We should not, how- 
ever, be ready to give them full measure of censure 



H4 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

that we have seen so few of them, for we feel if we had in- 
vited them directly more of them would have come. We 
should not be willing to assume that their absence had 
been caused wholly by indifference, but rather let it be 
set down as an invariable rule that teachers can interest 
and enlist the parents as their helpers. It would seem 
perfectly proper to arrange a definite time for the visit, 
just as any other invitation is extended. This could be 
done while the teacher was on. the round of " pastoral 
calling " mentioned in a preceding letter. An occa- 
sional visit to the class will acquaint parents with the 
teacher's methods, and they will thus be enabled to 
supplement the work of the Sunday-school in the home. 
I do not know what your preference is, but in my own 
judgment, so far as young children are concerned, it is 
better to have parents follow up the lesson given in 
the class than to take up the new lesson. In general 
this would be the most interesting thing for parents to 
do. It is usually less discouraging to listen to a child 
tell you what he knows, than to try to interest him in 
something which he knows nothing about. As far as the 
child is concerned it is certainly well that he should be 
thus made to feel a responsibility about remembering the 
lesson. The very effort which he must make to recall 
and repeat it will make it indelible upon his memory. 
Not only can the parent thus help his child to recall his 
lesson, but there is a still nobler work to be done during 
the week in helping the child to live the lesson which he 
learned on Sunday. It would neither be possible nor 
desirable for the parents to visit the class every Sab- 
bath, and so it would be well to send occasional notes 



The Home and the Class. 1 15 

or suggestions to them to retain them as constant 
helpers. 

You see it is a fixed principle with me that a teacher 
cannot do without, the help of the home, either for its 
encouraging results upon himself, or the efficiency of 
its teachings upon his pupils. 

By this co-operation of the home and class a teach- 
er's efforts are multiplied many times; they are in- 
creased in tenderness and force by the peculiar love of 
a parent's heart ; they are made more direct, because 
applied to daily life. 

Only when the home and the school thus work to- 
gether is the highest and truest aim of the Sunday- 
school reached. 

Perhaps you think in all these suggestions I have for- 
gotten you as a mission-school teacher, where there is 
not only indifference in the homes represented, but vice 
and crime as well. Still I would say, You will do well 
to enlist the parents ; this may be the lever to raise them 
out of degradation into godliness. Do not at least de- 
spair if you cannot gain their interest : your influence 
will extend far into the wretched life of the children ; 
it will not be wholly lost, even if they are with you but 
one half hour out of one hundred and sixty-eight ; for 
proof of this consider the beautiful songs they re- 
member from Sunday to Sunday. I have sometimes 
marveled at this, particularly when they were learning 
a new song without seeing either the words or the music. 
Your influence will remain with them even as does the 
song. 

Yours, in loving service, S. J. C. 



n6 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



" Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me ; for 
of such is the kingdom of heaven." 

" O satisfy us early with thy mercy ; that we may rejoice and be 
glad all our days." 

" Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the 
evil days come not." 

" Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom 
of God as a little child, he* shall not enter therein." 

" Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child." 

" O Lord God : thou art my trust from my youth." 

" While he was yet young, he (Josiah) began to seek after the God 
of David his father." 

" All thy children shall be taught of the Lord ; and great shall be 
the peace of thy children." — The Scriptures. 

" I have seen as manifest evidence of the new birth in children of 
eight years of age, as I have ever seen in any adult." — Dr. Tyng, Sr. 

" As early in a child's life as possible, teach him implicit trust in 
Christ, and the full consecration of his little life with all its possibili- 
ties to Christ."— Rev. J. H. Vincent, D.D. 



The Teacher's Spiritual Work. wy 



XIV. 

The Teacher's Spiritual Work. 

Dear Teacher Friend : — In one of my first letters to 
you I named, as a necessary quality for the primary 
teacher, faith in child piety. That faith inspires the 
teacher with an earnest purpose which excludes all 
trifling, such as teaching for a reputation, or seeking to 
amuse children because they are thought too young to 
learn truth ; or striving to educate them to a point where 
they will become Christians. We should crave, more than 
any thing else in the way of reputation, to have it known 
of us in heaven that we have brought many little ones 
to Jesus. I love my work so much that I often find 
myself hoping that there may be little ones to teach 
in heaven, and that I may have a part of it to do. 

" Too young to learn truth ! " No one could say so if 
he could hear the demure little four-year-old Mamie, 
who comes to my class and says never a word, but goes 
home and tells the whole lesson to her mamma ; or if 
he could hear the little curly-headed, bright-faced 
Allie, two years and a half old, lisping about the 
Sunday-school to her nurse all through the week. 

" But the question might be asked, How are you go- 
ing to let these little children know all the great truths 
of religion ? We are not going to let them understand 
all the great truths of religion, only one or two. The 
smallest child knows there is a God. Atheism was 



n8 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

never born in any human being. A man must work 
very hard to grind himself down to an atheist. All that 
is needed for salvation is to know God and believe in 
him. The smallest child can understand God, and love 
him for his love." * 

A teacher should realize the value of a child's soul. 
The child's body may be a wee thing, as it were a drop 
of water; but his soul, it is vaster than the ocean. The 
souls, they are committed to our care ! O that I could 
write these words in flame ! Each Sabbath, as we come 
from our classes, let us ask ourselves the question, Have 
I done any think for souls to-day ? Souls, the crowning 
work of God's creation, set over all the works of his 
hands ; souls, whose value is the ransom price, the pre- 
cious blood of Christ ; souls that can be measured, in 
their height, depth, length, and breadth, only by the 
cross ; souls that have an eternity to spend somewhere, 
either among the saints in glory, or in the " prison house 
of the lost." 

A teacher should also study the religious possibilities 
of the child. " It is as possible to play like a Christian 
as it is to trade like a Christian." And I doubt not that 
children can be brought to exercise as much grace in their 
sphere as men and women do in theirs. Little Dannie 
had been taught by his mamma that when he wanted to 
do wrong the wicked spirit was in him, and that he 
must try to get it out before he was naughty. I can re- 
member seeing the little fellow, when only three years 
old, coming to his mother, and saying with a look almost 
of alarm, " Ze wicket spirit is in Dannie, for he 'ants to 
* Dr. Howard Crosby. 



The Teacher's Spiritual Work. 119 

hurt bis little sister." I have a theory that as soon as a 
child is thus able to recognize wrong -he has a corre- 
sponding power to recognize good, and that he may be 
taught to avoid one and cling to the other. Perhaps it 
would be well to quote what the children themselves 
say about their Christian duty. 

I was once talking in a children's meeting to about 
two hundred children between the ages of five and fif- 
teen. The subject was prayer. I asked, How old do 
you think children ought to be before they begin to 
pray ? The answers were as follows : " As soon as they 
can speak ; " "As soon as they can understand ; " " One 
and a half years old ; " " Two years old ; " " Three years 
old." Then followed another question : How old do you 
think children ought to be before they begin to pray in 
prayer-meeting ? " Five years old ; " " Six ; " " Ten ; " 
" Twelve." (No one said. Not until they are grown up.) 
How many of you are willing to pray in this prayer- 
meeting? There was a look of willingness on many 
faces ; two little girls aged six and eight years, and a 
boy of twelve, raised their hands. The boy made one 
of the most beautiful prayers I have ever listened to, 
full of simple trust. After the meeting, I asked him 
how long he had been a Christian. " Ever since I can 
remember," he replied, with a radiant smile. 

Would any one be disposed to doubt such a state- 
ment ? Yes, I fear some persons would. Those who 
think that a conversion must be like the breaking up of 
the great deep would be apt to deny a child's conver- 
sion, either on the ground that he had not enough sin 
to mourn deeply for, or that it would be impossible for 



120 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

him to live a consistent Christian life because much of 
his time would of necessity be given up to play. " He 
slides down hill just like other boys," was a criticism 
made upon a child Christian by such a person. Paul 
and Silas, delivered from prison by an earthquake, and 
Peter, delivered at Philippi silently by the angel of the 
Lord, represent two types of conversion. 

The child's regeneration, although less marked and 
sudden than is usual with adults, will be made as clear- 
ly manifest by yielding the fruit of the Spirit, (Gal. v, 
22, 23,) under proper Christian culture. 

In a day-school of fifty little children between the 
ages of four and six years an occasional morning prayer- 
meeting, lasting for about half an hour, was well sus- 
tained by the little people. At first they needed my help 
to frame original prayers, but at last they became inde- 
pendent of this help, save a conversation which we al- 
ways held previous to the season of prayer, when I tried 
to bring to their remembrance God's gifts and blessings 
and their needs. At first only one child was willing to 
make an audible prayer. Before many weeks had 
passed it was an exception for a child not to be willing 
to do so. They did not seem to be embarrassed by the 
presence of adult visitors. 

Mr. Crafts delights to recall his experience with 
Christian children in H , where in children's meet- 
ings at least twenty would offer prayer, some uttering 
only a sentence or two without any formal introduction 
or closing, and others making a longer prayer. At 
some meetings there would be thirty or forty tes- 
timonies in addition to prayers. From that band of 



The Teacher s Spiritual Work. 121 

little people there were constant additions to the 
Church. 

Dr. Crosby says : " We must have faith in the conver- 
sion of little children. We must not expect too much 
of them. We must not expect them to be like Paul, 
or Peter, or Apollos. We must not be too exacting 
with them, or expect gigantic faith, or gigantic intel- 
lect, or gigantic piety. I have always taken little 
children into the Church of which I am pastor, and have 
never regretted it. No, for they have all proved faith- 
ful ; and where many who came into the Church older 
have been entirely lost to it, we know where to find 
every one who came in in childhood." 

Rev. Julius Field gives similar testimony : " From the 
long experience of over half a century in the ministry, 
I have found in the Church no class of members which 
possessed such deep, uniform piety, stability of Christian 
character, and perseverance, and of whom I could re- 
port so favorably, as those converted in childhood." 

Having written so much about the teacher's aim, it is 
fitting that the remainder of my letter should be devoted 
to the teacher's methods. You have seen the Catholic 
devotee praying with the rosary. Has it not occurred 
to you that every Sunday-school teacher should have a 
rosary ? Not one of beads, but one composed of the 
names of scholars. Such a one I made on the fly-leaf 
of my Bible ; those names were one by one spoken in 
prayer, that I might be the means of leading each soul 
to Christ. 

There should be a spiritual application of each lesson. 
A few years ago I met, on a steamer going through the 



122 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

lakes, a lovely Christian teacher, who said to me, " I am 
never satisfied to teach a lesson without bringing Christ 
into it." Although I then made no dissenting reply, I 
thought that such a course would sometimes be exceed- 
ingly inappropriate ; but the longer I teach, I find my- 
self very strongly of the opinion that I do not want to 
give lessons in which it is not appropriate to teach 
Christ. It has been very beautifully said that " Jesus is 
the thought which, like a scarlet thread, binds together 
all the books of the Bible." I am persuaded that every 
lesson which a teacher gives should be fastened upon 
that scarlet thread. 

" All growing that is not toward God 
Is growing to decay. All increase gained 
Is but an ugly, earthy fungus growth ; 
'Tis aspiration as that wick aspires 
Towering above the light it overcomes, 
But ever sinking with the dying flame." 

There should be a weekly prayer-meeting for chil- 
dren. This point has already received much attention 
in my letter, therefore I will only add, in case such a 
meeting is not provided by the Church, each teacher 
should feel the responsibility so far as his class is con- 
cerned. 

If space allowed I should like to give you an account 
of my experience in teaching children to pray, but I can 
only refer you to the lesson in the concert on prayer. 

Children should be taught to pray both morning and 
evening in their homes. While nearly all children are 
accustomed to pray in the evening, very many have no 
habits of morning prayer. 



The Teacher's Spiritual Work. 123 

Of the two, it would seem that the morning prayer is 
the more important, because it is at the very threshold 
of temptation and duty. The habit of evening prayer 
acquired in childhood makes it much easier in after 
life to keep up regular evening prayer. A habit of 
morning prayer would be equally valuable and helpful.* 

Personal conversation on religion should also enter 

* I have collected a few morning prayers for little children, from 
which parents and teachers can make selections : — 

1. Now I'm rising from my bed ; 
Like a bird, I must be fed ; 
Heavenly Father, hear me pray — 
I would be thy child to-day, 
Loving Thee with holy fear, 
Knowing Thou art always near, 
Happy in my Father's sight 

All the day, and all the night, 
Lest my feet should go astray, 
Bid some angel guard my way, 
And a vigil keep within, 
Lest my wayward heart should sin. 

2. As soon as I awake from sleep, 

I pray the Lord my heart to keep ; 
And through the day my life to save 
From sin, from sorrow, and the grave. 

3. Hear, O Lord, my morning prayer, 
Greatly do I need Thy care ; 

Save my life, my thoughts control — 
I'm a sinner, make me whole. 

4. Jesus, welcome ! I rejoice 

In the morn to hear Thy voice ; 
Soon as I awake from sleep, 
Thou art come my heart to keep ; 
And since Thou hast come for me, 
Gladly will I follow Thee. 

5. Now I'm rising from my bed ; 
Like a bird, I must be fed ; 
Heavenly Father, let me share 
With the sparrows in Thy care. 
Take my heart, and make it good ; 
Feed my soul with heavenly food. 



124 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

into every teacher's work. A young lady called to see 
a friend who was ill, and on leaving, one of the children, 
a sweet, intelligent little girl, took her down stairs. 
She was her own especial favorite and pet, and yet, be- 
ing naturally of an extremely reserved disposition, she 
had never spoken one word to her on the subject of 
religion. Looking down into the thoughtful, loving 
eyes, under a sudden impulse she asked the question, 
" Maud, my darling, do you love Jesus ? " To her as- 
tonishment the child stopped abruptly, and drawing 
her into a room which they were passing, she shut the 
door, and clinging closely to her, burst into a flood of 
tears. Looking up at last with a glad, happy face, she 
said, " Miss Alice, I have been praying for six months 
that you would speak to me of Jesus, and now you 
have. Every time I have been to your house, and 
every time you have come here, I have hoped you 
would say something, and I was beginning to think you 
never would." 

Perhaps there are some little ones praying for us to 
speak to them of Jesus ! I am aware that this will need 
to be done very judiciously with young children ; but 
with the co-operation of parents, it will be possible to 
train up these little ones in the nurture and admonition 
of the Lord. 

In closing this letter let me quote a familiar poem 
which has been a great incentive to me in spiritual work 
as a Sunday-school teacher : — 

" When mysterious whispers are floating about, 
And voices that will not be still 
Shall summon me hence from the slippery shore 
To the waves that are silent and chill ; 



The Teacher's Spiritual Work. 125 

When I look with changed eyes at the home of the blest, 

Far out of the reach of the sea — 
Will any one stand at that beautiful gate, 

Waiting and watching for me ? 

" There are little ones glancing about on my path, 

In need of a friend and a guide ; 
There are dim little eyes looking up into mine, 

Whose tears could be easily dried ; 
But Jesus may beckon the children away 

In the midst of their grief or their glee — 
Will any of these at the beautiful gate 

Be waiting and watching for me ? 

"I may be brought there by the manifold grace 

Of the Saviour who loves to forgive, 
Though I bless not the hungry ones near to my side, 

Only pray for myself while I live. 
But I think I should mourn o'er my selfish neglect, 

If sorrow in heaven can be, 
If no one should stand at that beautiful gate 

Waiting and watching for me." 

Yours, in loving service, S. J. C. 



TWELVE LESSONS ON THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 



I. 

Subject. — The Child Jesus. 
Golden Text. — Matt, ii, 10. 
Central Thought. — A Saviour Sought and Found. 

LESSON PLAN. 

I. To review God's promise that a Saviour should come. 2. To 

teach about the Saviour king made manifest in the flesh. 3. The 

wise men sought him and were directed to him by a star. 4. The 
Holy Spirit will lead to Jesus all who seek to find him. 

INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE. 

Who was the first man ? Who was the first woman ? 
Who made them ? Where did God put them to live ? 
Why did God make them leave the garden of Eden 
after awhile ? Who did he promise should come from 
heaven and take their sin away? Your teachers will 
tell you to-day about how Jesus came from heaven to 
take their sin away. [The above is a review of the 
third lesson in the first year of the International course, 
entitled, The Fall and the Promise. The following is 
the first lesson in the third quarter of the same year.] 

THE LESSON TAUGHT. 

How many of you have a little baby brother or sister 
at home? Do they look anything like this picture? 
[Showing some large ideal picture of a baby.] I know 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 127 

you had all many questions to ask about the baby when 
it first came. If the baby could have talked, I am sure 
it would have said to you : — 

" God thought about me, and so I grew." 
And then if you had asked, 

" But how did you come to us, you dear." 
Baby would have answered, 

" God thought about you, and so I am here." 

A dear little friend of mine was one day playing 
church, and preaching to chairs. His mamma heard 
him say to them, " Once upon a time before there was 
any little Willie Moody, away up in heaven, God said, 
1 Let there be a little Willie Moody,' and there was a 
Willie Moody." 

" Let there be," are the words which God spoke to 
make the lights the sky, the sea, the sun, moon, and 
stars. Away up in heaven, before God said, " Let there 
be " any thing, Jesus lived with the heavenly Father. 
He was so old that the Bible calls his name, The An- 
cient of Days ; and yet when Jesus left heaven to live 
in this world a little while, God gave him a little baby's 
body; and so we talk about Jesus being born in a man- 
ger at Bethlehem. In the Bible it is said of Jesus, 
" The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, 
while as yet he had not made the earth ; then I was by 
him as one brought up with him, and I was daily his 
delight, rejoicing always before him." 

When the Father was ready to send Jesus to take 
away sin as he had promised he gave him a very little 
house to live in. Do you see Jesus' little house in this 



128 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

picture? [A picture of Jesus as an infant.] You do 
not see it ? If I show you the windows you will know 
where it is. [Teacher points to the eyes in the pict- 
ure.] Do you not all see Jesus' little house now ? 
Do you live in larger or smaller body-houses than 
Jesus had ? Who has the largest body-house here ? 
You have. O how wonderful that one so great in heav- 
en should be put into a little baby's body-house to 
live ! He was more wonderful than any little baby God 
has ever made, for he was God put into a body like ours. 

When Jesus came to earth God put a new star in the 
sky to help people find him. 

Some wise men saw the star, and they knew Jesus 
had come. They went to the king and asked him to 
read out of the Bible the promise about Jesus' coming. 
The king sent for some other wise men who could read 
the Bible. They came and read the name of the town 
where Jesus should be born. How many of you would 
like to know the name of that town? It was Bethle- 
hem ; all try to say it. Jesus did not live in our city, 
for Bethlehem is far across the ocean. When the wise 
men started to Bethlehem, the star [which star ?] moved 
as if to show them the way. How do you point when 
you want to show any one the way ? [Children point 
with their index fingers.] 

I love to think God was pointing the way when the 
wise men were traveling to Bethlehem. Perhaps the 
star was the end of his shining finger ! I will read to 
you from the Bible how far the star moved. Matt, ii, 9. 
They found the dear God-child under the shining of the 
star. How do you think the wise men felt when they 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 129 

found that the star had led them to Jesus? G/ad, 
The Bible tells us, " They rejoiced with exceeding great 
joy." 

THE CLOSING EXERCISE. 

Try to read what I have printed A on the 

blackboard. "When they saw "\JESUS S they 
rejoiced with exceeding great joy." j \ 

How many of you would like js >^ to go 
and find Jesus now? Do you think 

you could go to him as the wise men did, and have a 
star to show you the way ? Yes. No, Jesus is in heav- 
en now ; if you tell God that you want to go to him, 
God will let his Holy Spirit lead your heart to Jesus to- 
day, although you cannot go to him with your body. 
My heart went to find Jesus many years ago, and every 
day now it has a visit with him. When I pray, I call 
that visiting Jesus. I can shut my eyes and be with 
him in a moment, even while I seem to stand here. 
How many of you want the Holy Spirit to take your 
hearts to Jesus ? What will he do for you ? Take away 

my sins. 

• 

Subject. — The Baptism of Jesus. 
Golden Text. — Mark i, 11. 

Central Thought. — Baptism by water and by the Holy 
Ghost. 

LESSON PLAN. 
I. To recall what the children have observed of baptisms. 2. To 
teach about the double baptism which Jesus received at the River 
Jordan. 3. To teach that all who are baptized with water may also 
be baptized with the Holy Ghost. 



130 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE. 

How many of you have ever seen any one baptized ? 
Who were they ? Were they baptized in the river or in 
the church ? How was it done ? You are going to 
learn to-day about Jesus being baptized. What do you 
want to know about it ? I want to know whether he 
was baptized in the river or in the church, and who bap- 
tized him. Your teachers are waiting to tell you all 
these things. 

THE LESSON TAUGHT. 

Jesus was baptized twice in one day ! The first time 
John baptized him, and the second time God baptized 
him John baptized so many people that he was called 
John the Baptist. That is the work God gave John to 
do — to tell the people that they should very soon see 
Jesus, to beg them to feel sorry for their sins, and to be 
baptized. John did not preach to the people in church, 
but in the street, by the sea-side, or in the fields. Do 
you think John baptized in the church or in the river? 
In the river. Yes, in the River Jordan. One day while 
John was baptizing some people Jesus came to be 
baptized. To what place did he come ? The River 
Jordan. The people did not know who he was, 
but John did. John thought Jesus was too good 
and too great for him to baptize, so he said, "No; 
I have need to be baptized of thee." Then Jesus 
talked with John, and told him it was right for him to 
do it. because the Son of God must be baptized in or- 
der to obey God. Then John baptized him. Where ? 
With what ? Water. God looked down from heaven ; 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 13 1 

what did he see? Jesus being baptized. Then God 
baptized him, not his body with water, but he baptized 
his heart with the Holy Spirit. The heavens were 
opened, and God sent down the Holy Spirit into Jesus' 
heart to help him be loving and gentle always to the 
wicked and cruel people among whom he had come to 
live. He had come from heaven to do good to these 
people, and to die for them so that God would forgive 
their sin. Are not you and I some of those wicked 
people ? No. I am sure we are, for every day we do 
something wrong that makes Jesus' heart sad. With 
what did John baptize Jesus' body? With what did 
God baptize his heart ? Where did John baptize Jesus ? 
Where did God baptize him ? Who saw John baptize 
Jesus? Do you think any body saw God baptizing 
Jesus? Yes. No one but John; he saw the Holy 
Spirit come down from heaven to be Jesus' helper. He 
said the Holy Spirit looked like a dove, and rested on 
Jesus' shoulder. God spoke from heaven, saying, " This 
is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Do 
you think the people heard God's voice? Yes. If 
they did, they thought it was thunder ; only John knew 
God had spoken. What did John hear God say? I 
have not told you how old Jesus was when John bap- 
tized him. Would you like to know ? Yes. He was 
thirty years old. How old was he when God baptized 
him? Thirty years old. 



132 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



THE CLOSING EXERCISE. 

I wish you would all try to read what I have printed 
on the blackboard : — 







THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, IN 
WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED. 



Who said this ? When ? Who thought the Holy 
Spirit looked like a dove ? 

A friend once asked me which of God's animals I 
would like to be. I thought that was a very funny 
question, but still I made a choice. My friend said he 
would rather be a pure white dove than any thing else, 
because it is the sign of the Holy Spirit. A dove is the 
gentlest, kindest creature God has made; but we may 
become even more gentle and loving than a dove if we 
have God's Holy Spirit in our hearts ; that will give our 
eyes a gentle look, will make our hands work to do good 
for others, will make our feet run to help others. How 
many of you want to be baptized with the Holy Spirit? 
Who can do it ? You told me when we first began our 
lesson that you had seen many persons baptized. Were 
they baptized with water or with the Holy Spirit ? With 
ivatcr. Baptism with water is a sign of membership in 
the kingdom of heaven. You were baptized with water 
when you were little babes, because Jesus said of all lit- 
tle children : " Of such is the kingdom of heaven." But 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 133 

then we must also be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 
What did God say about Jesus when he was baptized ? 
"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'' 
When you are baptized with the Holy Spirit you will 
hear his voice saying, "This is my beloved [substituting 
the names of one or more children) in whom I am well 
pleased." 

III. 
Subject— The Law. 
Golden Text. — Rom. xiii, 10. 
Central Thought. — Charity, the bond of perfectness. 

LESSON PLAN. 

I. To review the law as given by Moses. 2. To teach the law of 
love which came by Jesus Christ. 3. To teach how the keeping of 
the new law fulfills the duties of the old law. 

INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE. 

If you should try to reach out your arms behind, you 
could make them go pretty far back ; could you not ? 

Now, I want you to reach your thoughts back to 
something you learned a long time ago, back to Moses 
and the Israelites. How many of you remember learn- 
ing about them ? What did God give to Moses on two 
tables of stone from the top of Mount Sinai ? I am mak- 
ing on the blackboard pictures of the two tables of stone. 
[The teacher draws them.] I think you all know the 
words which God wrote. How many of you can say 
them ? Perhaps, if I should print a few of the words, 
we would be helped to speak them together. 

[The teacher prints on the first table, "No other gods," "Graven images, 1 ' 
*' Jealous God, 1 ' and " Remember the Sabbath ; " and on the second table. " Honor," 



134 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

" Not kill,'" "Not commit adultery,' 1 " Not steal," u Not bear false witness, 1 ' "Not 
covet.' 1 The teachers and children should now repeat in concert the Ten Com- 
mandments.] 

God gave more than ten commandments to the Is- 
raelites ; he told Moses six hundred and three others to 
teach the people. Then how many commandments did 
God give altogether to the Israelites ? 

By whom did he give them ? By Moses. Yes, God 
spake to the people by Moses. 

Whom did God afterward send from heaven to speak for 
him to all the people in the world ? Jesus. One of Jesus' 
names is " The Word," for he was God's word to us. 

Your teachers will tell you now how many command- 
ments God told Jesus to tell us — Jesus, the Word that 
was made flesh and dwelt among us. 

THE LESSON TAUGHT. 

How many commandments did God give to the Is- 
raelites by Moses ? 

What are you expecting me to tell you now ? How 
many commandments God told Jesus to give. 

One day a scribe came to Jesus and asked him which 
was the greatest of all the commandments God had 
given by Moses. The scribe knew all of the six hun- 
dred and thirteen commandments, for his business was 
to write Bibles with his reed pen. That is the way 
Bibles were made before people knew how to print 
them. The scribe had probably many times written the 
six hundred and thirteen commandments. What did he 
come to Jesus asking ? Jesus said the greatest com- 
mandment is, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
all thy heart, etc. [Let the teacher read it from the 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 135 

Bible. Matt, xxii, 37.] How many commandments 
among the ten could we find about loving God and serv- 
ing him ? Four. And there were many others, too, among 
the six hundred, about serving God ; some told them to 
make sacrifice of lambs and doves and bullocks when they 
had sinned. You learned about that many weeks ago. 

How many commandments did Jesus give about serv- 
ing God ? 0?ie. He knew that if any body should love 
God he would do right without being told what he 
must do and what he must not do. 

Among the six hundred and thirteen commandments 
were many that told the people how they must act to- 
ward each other, and how they must buy and sell and 
take care of their animals, and how they must treat each 
other's animals. God had to teach the Israelites in 
somewhat the same way your parents teach you. Your 
mother and father say to you, " Don't come to the table 
with dirty hands," " Don't come into the house with 
mud on your shoes," " Don't speak saucy words." 
When they have told you these many things many times, 
and they afterward say, " Now be good children," you 
know every thing they mean; do you not? 

For nearly fifteen hundred years God had been teach- 
ing the Israelites what they must do and what they 
must not do, and so he thought they would know what 
he meant if he should tell Jesus to say, " Love 
one another." You know people who love each 
other never want to kill one another, nor steal, nor tell 
wicked stories about each other. So, after telling the 
scribe that to love God was the greatest commandment, 
Jesus said the second was like unto it, " Thou shalt love 



136 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

thy neighbor as thyself." Let us say together the two 
commandments which Jesus gave. [The children re- 
peat them, helped by their teacher.] 

Then Jesus said, "There is none other commandment 
greater than these ; on these two commandments hang all 
the law and the prophets." When Jesus had thus spok- 
en, the scribe thought a few minutes about the six hun- 
dred and thirteen commandments, and then said, " Mas- 
ter, thou hast said the truth." [Let the teacher read 
from the Bible the remainder of the reply in verses 32 

and 2)2> °f tne lesson.] 

Jesus saw that the scribe knew much about God's 

ways, and he said to him, " Thou art not far from the 

kingdom of God." 

THE CLOSING EXERCISE. 

Have you learned how many commandments the 
Father in heaven told Jesus to tell his people ? 

What were they ? 

What do you see on the blackboard ? Pictures of the 
tables of stone. 

What was written on the real stone tables ? 

Now I am going to rub out these ten commandments, 
and I want you to tell me how to put them back in one 
word. Can you not tell in one word what Jesus said 
we must do to serve God, and to do right to everybody ? 
Love. Yes ; love God and love our neighbors. 



[If the children do not suggest love, let the teacher give it, A 
pleasant interest may be awakened by asking the children to tell 
how the word love could be printed on two tables. They will 
probably say that half of it may be put in one tablet, and a half 
in the other, thus : — 

Let the teacher then print it so.] 



LO 



VE 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 137 

If we love God, what will we not do ? Not have any 
other gods j nor worship any other gods j nor take God *s 
name in vain, and we will keep the Sabbath day holy. If 
we love every body what will we not want to do ? Not 
kill ; not steal, etc. Then, to love is to do God's way, 
and to keep all the six hundred and thirteen command- 
ments, without knowing what they all are. The Bible 
says, " Love is the fulfilling of the law." 

All say together once more the two commandments 
which God told Jesus to speak to us. 

Did God write them on tables of stone ? No I Our 
picture makes it seem so. God says, " I will put my law 
in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts." Not 
in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. I 
will make our picture true. [The teacher changes the 
two outside straight lines of the tables already drawn 
to slightly curved ones, which will make a heart.] 

God wants to write love on your hearts, and then he 
will say to you, as he did to the scribe, Thou art not far 
from the kingdom of heaven. How many of you want 
love for God and love for every body to be in your 

hearts ? 

» 

IV. 

Subject. — Power Over the Sea. 
Golden Text. — Psa. cvii, 29. 

Central Thought.—" The Father loveth the Son, and 
hath given all things into his hands." 

LESSON PLAN. 
I. To impress the children with the power of the Father. 2. To 
tell the story of the lesson, teaching that Jesus is equal with the Fa- 
ther in power. 



138 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE. 

I want you all to look in my hand and see what I am 
holding. Water. What does the hollow of my hand 
make ? A cup. If my hand were larger, what could I 
do ? Hold more water. Would you like to know how 
much water God holds in his hand? The Bible tells us 
that God holds the great seas in his hand, the great seas 
in which ships sail ; across which nobody can see, they 
are so wide. 

Let me read to you from the Bible about this, (Isa. 
xl, 12): ''Who hath measured the waters in the hol- 
low of his hand." 

Now I am going to show you on the blackboard how 
wide I can stretch my hand. Now I will make a dot 
where my little finger is, and another where my thumb 
is. Now I will draw a line from one dot to the other, 
and you can see just how far I can stretch my hand. 
You could not reach so far with your little hands. If 
my hand were larger I might stretch it across the whole 
blackboard. The Bible tells us how far God can 
stretch his hand. Would you like to know how far? 
God can stretch his hand across the whole sky. [Let 
the teacher hold up her hand and point to the distance 
between her outstretched thumb and little finger.] The 
Bible tells us he hath " meted out (measured) heaven 
with the span." The span is the distance between the 
thumb and little finger. How great God is ! 

How many of you would like to learn about what God 
can do with the sea which he holds in the hollow of his 
hand ? Your teachers are waiting to tell you. 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 139 



THE LESSON TAUGHT. 

How many of you have ever seen ships ? I have 
brought a picture of a ship for those to look at who 
have never seen a real one. [Any little print will an- 
swer.] What name do we give to men who sail on the 
ships ? Sailors. Sometimes there are great storms at 
sea ; then ships are broken in pieces and sailors are 
drowned. Once there was a storm, and all on the ship 
were very much frightened except one sailor; he did not 
seem troubled at all. When some one asked him what 
made him so calm, why he was not frightened, he said, 
" If I should drown, I would only be sinking into the 
hollow of my Father's hand." What did he know about 
the sea that you have 'learned to-day ? That God holds 
it in the hollow of his hand. 

Now listen while I tell you a story I have read in the 
Bible about some other men who were in a ship when 
there was a storm on the sea. When I get through tell- 
ing the story I shall want you to tell me what they 
forgot. 

It was in the night, and twelve men were in a ship 
together, and they had with them several other little 
ships. Jesus was with the twelve men ; how many per- 
sons in the large boat, then ? 

Jesus had been preaching all day, and he had done 
what you and I do when we are very tired. What ? 
He had gone to sleep. Yes, with a pillow under his 
head, not such a pillow as you and I have, but more like 
a little stool. 

God blew his breath on the sea, and that made wind 



140 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

and waves, such great waves that the ship was nearly 
filled with water; still Jesus slept. The twelve disci- 
ples became so frightened that they went to Jesus, 
asleep on his pillow, and woke him up, saying, Do 
you not care if we die ? " Carest thou not that we 
perish." 

Those twelve men were afraid to fall into the sea. 
Now try to tell me what they had forgotten. That 
God holds the sea in the hollow of his hand. Any 
thing else? That drowning is only sinking into God's 
hand. 

God holds the sea in his hand. What could he 
have done to stop the storm if the twelve men had 
called upon him for help ? Kept his hand still. Stopped 
blowing his breath. 

How many of you think Jesus could stop the storm 
when the twelve men called to him for help ? 

Listen while I read a verse from the Bible, and then 
tell me whether or not you think there was any use for 
the twelve frightened men to call on Jesus to stop the 
storm. [Teacher reads, " The Father loveth the Son, 
and hath given all things into his hands." John iii, 35.] 
That means the sea and many other things besides. 
How many of you think now that Jesus could stop the 
storm ? [All the hands are raised to signify that they 
think he could.] 

Listen while I read what Jesus did when they wak- 
ened him: "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, 
and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind 
ceased, and there was a great calm." Tell me now, to- 
gether, besides the Father in heaven, whom do the wind 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 141 

and sea obey ? Jesus. Why ? Because the Father hath 
given all things into his hands. 

When the storm had gone, the disciples looked at 
each other with fear in their faces, " and said one to 
another, What manner of man is this, that even the 
wind and the sea obey him ? " 



THE CLOSING EXERCISE. 

Who can read what is on the blackboard ? 

[Let the words of the Golden Text, " He maketh the storm," be printed so as 
to represent waves, then "a calm," thus " a c-a-l-m ;" "so that the waves there- 
of," in waves again, and " are still," thus, " a-r-e s-t-i-1-1."] 

Of whom only can we say these words ? Of God the 
Father, and Jesus the Son. 

If you will all do just as I tell you, I will help you to 
know what a great difference there is between a storm 
and a calm. Now, all slide your feet forward and 
backward on the floor until I raise my hand, and blow 
your breath between your teeth to make the sound of 
wind. 

[Let the children do as the teacher directs, and a good imitation of wind and 
thunder is made. This exercise is given that it may impress the lesson by its 
novelty, and at the same time gain the attention of idle children.] 

Now, sit so quietly that you will hardly have to move 
your eyes. [Wait a moment for perfect silence.] 
It was something like that after Jesus had spoken to 
the storm. Now, while it is so still, whisper the verse 
about what the Father and the Son can do. " He mak- 
eth the storm a calm," etc. 

To-day, just as on that long ago yesterday, God holds 



142 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

the sea in his hands, and measures the heavens with a 
span. [Teacher imitating with her own hand.] And 
now, as then, the storms obey his voice, whether the 
Father or the Son speaks. We say sometimes, u It 
has cleared off; " it would be better to say, "God has 
spoken." 

Whom has the Father made as great as himself to 
measure and to hold? Jesus the Son. Let us together 
say the verse about it once more : " The Father loveth 
the Son, and hath given all things into his hands." 

[Note. — Let the pupils each be given a piece of paper with a hand drawn on it, 
and in the palm of the hand these words, " He hath measured the sea in the hol- 
low of his hand," and between the thumb and little finger these words, "And 
meted out the heaven with a span." Request that these be learned to recite next 
Sunday. Ask all to try to remember the verse about the Father giving all things 
into the hands of the Son, and request them to learn also the Golden Text. 



Subject. — The Mind of Christ. 
Golden Text.— Phil, ii, 5. 

Central Thought— ■" The Child-like is the Christ- 
like." 

LESSON PLAN. 

I. To teach that God can read all hearts. 2. To lead the children 
to tell what ought to be in the heart for God to read. 3. To teach 
that the heart of a child (such as Christ described) has in it the right 
reading. 4. To tell how Christ taught this to the disciples. 5. To 
teach that to be child-like in heart is to have in us the mind that is 
in Christ Jesus. 

INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE. 

I have in my hand a book, just like those you read 
in at school, [a primer, perhaps J You see the book is 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 143 

shut ; but look, how is it now ? Open. How do you 
have the book when you read, open or closed ? Open. 
Of course you do ; you could not read from a closed 
book. 

When you look at me and do not hear me talk, do 
you know what I am thinking about ? Are my thoughts 
like a closed or an open book to you ? Like a closed 
one. So are yours to me. 

I know of some one who reads the thoughts of our 
hearts as if they were open books ; do you not know, 
too? 

One day Jesus met a woman at a well drawing water. 
The woman was wicked. She did not tell Jesus so, but 
he looked into her heart and read there all the wrong 
things she had ever done, then he told her that he knew 
about her wickedness. Jesus wanted to make her bet- 
ter, so he talked to her about heavenly things. Then 
she ran to find her friends in the city, and she said to 
them, " Come, see a man which told me all things that 
ever I did ; is not this the Christ ? " 

[If a teacher wishes to add still further illustrations upon this point, incidents 
may be found in John i, 47-50, and in John xxi, 17.] 

Your lesson to-day is about Jesus reading the hearts 
of his twelve disciples. He read them as if they had 
been what? Open books. 

I will make an open book on the blackboard, and 
draw a heart around it, to make us know just how 
their hearts seemed to Jesus. [The teacher draws.] 

But there is nothing in the book I have drawn ! Did 
not Jesus read something in the hearts of the disciples? 
O, yes ! Good or bad ? We do not know. I will tell you 



144 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

what they had been talking about, and then you will 
know whether to say good or bad. 

[Let the teacher now briefly, but forcibly, describe what is said of the disciples 
in the thirty-fourth verse of the lesson, and again ask what Jesus read in the open 
books of their hearts. By careful questioning the children may be led to give the 
ideas of pride and ambition, if not the words themselves. Then these attributes 
should be printed in the pictures of the open book, and the children should be 
taught to say that Jesus read pride and ambition in the disciples' hearts.] 

THE LESSON TAUGHT. 

Tell me now together, when you are not looking at 
the picture on the blackboard, what Jesus read in the 
disciples' hearts. 

Do you think that is what ought to have been there 
for him to read ? 

How many of you would like to know what ought 
to be in the heart-books for Jesus to read ? I am just 
wondering if you cannot tell me. 

[If the children are slow to answer, let the teacher help them to talk by clustering 
questions and illustrations about the two virtues that are opposed to the vices of 
pride and ambition, that is, humility and obedience. Doubtless the children will at 
once say, love. The teacher should then print these virtues upon a little book which 
has been made beforehand, thus : Cut four white heart-shaped papers in such a 
way that they will be joined together at one side, in twos ; cut then two leaves of 
colored paper, of the heart shape, also joined at one side, which are to serve for the 
cover of the book ; then stitch them all together, or fasten them with ribbon. 
Print on the second white leaf humility, on the third obedience, and on the fourth 
love. Leave the first white leaf blank for the name, and the upper side of the 
cover for the Golden Text.] 

Who do you think have such good and true hearts as 
we have been talking about? 

How many of you would like to know where Jesus 
taught his disciples to find hearts with humility, obedi- 
ence, and love in them ? 

[Let the teacher now tell lovingly the story of the child that was "set in the 
midst of them. 1, Major Whittle of Chicago, whose name is fragrant with love and 
deeds for Christ, once explained this lesson by holding a little child itself 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 145 

for illustration. Certainly it was a good way to teach " Through the Eye to the 
Heart." 

To add vividness to the scene of Christ's teaching in this instance, I will men- 
tion some particulars (which the teacher may weave into the Bible story) of a 
large painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence, called "Christ Teacheth Humility," 
which is in the National Gallery of Scotland. A mother sits near Christ, holding 
a little child on her lap. Christ has his hand on the child's head, and is looking 
at the disciples and talking with them. The eyes of the ambitious disciples arc 
downcast, and the blush of shame is on their cheeks. Pharisees standing about 
are offended at Christ's words, and are whispering to each other. Several women 
and children are looking fondly at Christ ; especially one little boy looks up 
brightly at him. 

It should be remembered that childhood, and not childishness, is the lesson to be 
taught. Caution should be exercised, too, lest the children leave the class feeling 
that they have been exalted since they are children. This last point might be im- 
pressed as follows :] 

So Jesus taught the disciples what ought to be in 
their hearts by showing them what was in a little child's 
heart. You are little children. Do you think, then, that 
your hearts have in them just what ought to be there 
for Jesus to read ? I think they have in them some pride 
and ambition, like that which Jesus read in the disci- 
ples' hearts ; perhaps only a very little. You must try 
to keep your hearts right now, while you have not been 
long from God ; if you do not, by and by it will be 
hard to make them have the " humility, obedience, and 
love " that Jesus wants to read in them.* 

THE CLOSING EXERCISE. 

Read now what Jesus read in the heart-books of the 
disciples, [pointing to the figure drawn in the Opening 
Exercise on the blackboard.] 

He wanted them to put away "pride and ambition," 
so I will rub them out. 

* Ruskin says : " While you are young, it will be as well to take 
care that your hearts don't want much washing ; for they may, per- 
haps, need wringing also when they do." 
10 



146 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

What did he want them to put into their heart-books ? 
Humility, obedience, and love. 

See what I am drawing— what ? Three hearts. They 
are some of the leaves of the heart-book. You see only 
one leaf in that picture. On one I will print humility, 
on another obedience, and on the other love. 

How did Jesus teach the disciples about these 
things ? 

The heart of Christ is like the heart of a little child, 
but it has in it more humility, more obedience, more 
love than a child-heart can have. How many of you 
would like to have in your hearts the same thoughts 
that are in Jesus' heart ? Then I will make this for a 
picture of the way you want your hearts to be. [In the 
heart already drawn, the teacher prints the Golden 
Text, " Let this mind be in you, which was also in 
Christ Jesus."] 

If you have hearts like Christ's, what three things will 
be in them ? 

Your teachers have made a little paper heart-book 
for each of you, with this verse on the outside for you 
to learn. The leaves are left white for you to print on 
them the three things which Jesus wants to read in 
your hearts ; the first white leaf is for your name, to 
show that you want your heart to be good and true. 
How many of you will try to print in the little paper 
heart-books, and bring them for your teachers and for 
me to read next Sunday ? 

How many of you will try to make humility, obedi- 
ence, and love, in your real hearts, for Jesus to read ? 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 147 

VI. 

Subject. — Parable of the Sower. 

Golden Text. — James i, 22. 

Central Thought. — The Word and its Hearers. 

LESSON PLAN. 

I. In the Opening Exercise, to teach about the first kind of un- 
profitable hearers mentioned by Christ. 2. In the Class Exercise, to 
teach about the second kind of unprofitable hearers. 3. In the 
Closing Exercise, to teach about the third kind, and draw a contrast 
between the whole number and a profitable hearer. 

OPENING EXERCISE. 

Listen a moment to the ticking of the clock. [Chil- 
dren listen.] How many of you did not hear the clock 
before I told you to listen ? Had the clock stopped ? 
No. I know why you did not hear it. You were not 
listening to it or thinking about it. I have sat in a 
room one day where there was a striking clock, and 
although it struck each hour, I did not hear it more 
than once or twice. Why did I not hear it ? Because 
you did not think about it. I notice it is sometimes that 
way with you when I speak to you about Jesus. The 
sound of my voice goes into your ears, but you do not 
hear what I say, because you look some other way or 
talk to each other. You do not pay attention. That 
is the way many people do in churches, and when they 
get home they cannot tell what the minister has said. 

Jesus calls the good words spoken about him " the 
seed." How many seeds of knowledge I have tried to 
give you ! If you have not listened, they have not been 
planted in your hearts. 



148 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

Would this little seed [showing one] grow to be a 
beautiful plant, and have flowers and fruit, if I should 
lay it on the hard, dry ground ? // would not grow. 
A bird might come and take it away, 

Somebody will surely come and try to take away the 
words about Jesus which I want to put into your hearts. 
Who will ? Satan. He wants your hearts to be like 
hard ground. He is not willing to have any words 
about Jesus make your acts and words loving and kind. 
Then, do you think Satan takes away from you the 
words I speak to you about Jesus ? God says to you, 
" He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." 

CLASS EXERCISE. 

What have I in my hand ? A seed. If you plant the 
seed what will it do ? How many of you have ever 
planted a seed ? Is it best to plant seeds on a stone 
where there is a very little earth, or pretty deep down in 
the ground ? What would happen to a little plant 
growing on a stone when the hot sun would shine on 
it? It would wither and die. I think I can show you 
that you are sometimes like that poor little plant. How 
many. of you have ever promised yourselves, when you 
have been learning about Jesus in the Sunday-school, 
that you would never again get angry, nor strike any one, 
nor do any thing naughty ? How many of you have felt 
so ? When you get home did not something happen to 
trouble you or displease you that made you do just the 
wrong things you had promised not to do ? Does your 
goodness last a long time or a short time ? Does the 
little plant growing on a stone live a long time or a 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 149 

short time ? A short time. So you see, after all, you 
are much like the little plant that is soon withered. 
This is because you try to do right without asking Jesus 
to help you. What does Jesus call the words which are 
spoken to little children by their Sabbath-school teach- 
ers ? The seed. What kind of acts do your teachers 
want the seed to make you do ? What kind of words 
do they hope the seed will make you speak? How 
will it be with the child who does not ask Jesus' help ? 

THE CLOSING EXERCISE. 

" He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." What do 
you hear ticking ? Could you hear the clock ticking if 
we should all sing ? No. Would the clock stop tick- 
ing as soon as we began to sing ? No. Why could we 
not hear it then? Because loud 7wises cover up little 
noises. Sometimes when you are in Sunday-school, I 
might say that your thoughts are full of great noises, 
not real noises like singing or clock ticking, but full of 
play, new clothes, new toys, what you will do when you 
get home, etc., so that when I talk to you about Jesus 
you do not hear. Sometimes when I have just got done 
speaking I ask you, What did I say ? Often you cannot 
tell. When Jesus was here on earth he made a picture 
of people who do so. Shall I tell you about it ? He 
said good words spoken of him while grown people or 
little children were thinking of other things were like 
seeds being planted among thorns and weeds. If you 
were old enough to know about a garden you would 
know that seeds cannot grow up among thorns and 
make fine plants with lovely flowers, but you would 



150 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

know that thorns and weeds kill good plants. So 
thoughts about play and dress in Sunday-school keep 
the words about Jesus, which are spoken to you, from 
growing into good words and acts. What are thoughts 
of dress and play in Sunday-school or church like? 
Like thorns and weeds. If, then, we have these wrong 
thoughts, what will words spoken about Jesus be like ? 
Like the seeds planted among thorns and weeds. 

Jesus wants you not only to hear the words about 
him, but he wants you to be doers too. I will print on 
the blackboard what God says to you about this : — 



Be Ye DOERS of THE WORD, 

AND 

NOT HEARERS ONLY. 



Can those who do not listen in Sunday-school be 
" doers ? " How long can those who do not ask Jesus 
to help them be " doers ? " Will those who think about 
play and dress more than any thing else be " doers ? " 
No. Who, then, are the " doers ? " Those who listen in 
Sunday-school, and do not think about dress and play, 
and then go home and ask Jesus to help them be good. 
Jesus calls their hearts " good ground," and he says the 
words which they hear about him are *' like good seed 
sown in good ground." Read now again God's words 
from the blackboard. Good seed sown in good ground 
makes flowers and fruit. Jesus says when his seed is 
sown in good hearts it will make the fruit of loving acts 
and kind words. How many of you want to be " doers " 
of the word ? 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 151 

VII. 
Subject.— The Widow's two Mites. 
Golden Text. — 1 Cor. xvi, 2. 
Central Thought. — Christ's Standard of Benevolence. 

LESSON PLAN. 

I. To prepare the children to understand Jesus' teaching about 
benevolence. 2. To tell the story of the widow, who gave Jesus 
occasion to instruct his disciples upon benevolence. 3. To give the 
standard of benevolence which Jesus gave to his disciples. 4. To 
lead the children to make an application to themselves of Jesus' 
teaching. 

INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE. 

I think you all know what this is. [The teacher holds 
up a toy bank.] How many of you have such banks at 
home ? If you have not now, perhaps you have had. 
Do you put money into banks to spend yourselves or 
for others to spend ? 

Listen to what the Bible tells us to do : " Upon the 
first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him, 
in store, as God hath prospered him." By these words, 
God teaches us that we ought to put money away for 
others to spend. Some churches have, near the door, a 
large bank or box, into which people put money as they 
pass in — money for God's Church to spend in doing good. 

I know of a lady who keeps a bank for God in her 
own home, and she puts a good deal of money into it. 

If you would do as God tells you, you will bring some 
money to Church or Sunday-school every Sunday. 
" Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you 
lay by him, in store, as God hath prospered him." 

Do any of you know what name is given to the church 



152 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

or money box ? An alms box. Jesus calls it a treasury. 
Where did I say the treasury is kept ? Has our church 
a treasury ? 

Your teachers are willing to tell you what Jesus saw 
put into a treasury one day. 

THE LESSON TAUGHT. 

Before* I tell you about Jesus I want you to tell me 
something. Would you think it kind for a little boy, 
who had a basket full of apples, all his own, to give some 
to his little friends ? Yes ? Do you not think it would 
be even kinder if a boy had only one apple and he 
should cut it, and give the pieces to his little friends, 
keeping only one piece for himself? Which boy do you 
think would show the most love, the one who gave away 
many apples, or the other, who gave away many pieces of 
one apple ? The one who gave away many pieces. Why ? 
Because he would not have so much left for himself. I 
have known little children happy to give away all of 
any thing. 

Now, I will tell you what Jesus saw put into the treas- 
ury. One day Jesus sat down near the door of the 
temple, to look at the people as they stopped to put 
their money into the treasury. Some persons put in very 
much money — gold and silver — they were rich. 

But as Jesus sat watching, a poor widow came and 
dropped in two mites, a very little money. 

I have here two paper mites, the same size as those the 
widow had, but her mites were made of metal. [Let 
two round papers, one half inch in diameter, be shown 
to the children.] 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 153 

Jesus was watching the poor widow. Do you believe 
he thought what a mean woman she was not to put in 
more, when so many were putting in piles of gold and 
silver ? No, he did not ; he looked into the widow's 
heart, and read there that the two mites were all the 
money she had. No rich man gave all the money he 
had. If, then, the widow gave all she had, how many of 
you think she gave more than any rich man, although it 
did not count so much ? 

The two mites were more than the gold when Jesus 
counted them ; they counted more in what ? They 
counted more in love. 

You know we were talking about two little boys and 
some apples a few moments ago. Which of those boys 
was the widow somewhat like ? 

I will try to draw a picture of two mites counting 
more than much gold and silver. 

[If the teacher has a small class, let the slate be used in place of the blackboard 
and upon it draw a balance. On one of the scales make many little dots, repre- 
senting much gold and silver ; on the other draw a heart and two dots, represent- 
ing the two mites. Draw the latter scale so that it seems to outweigh the other.] 

Jesus looked into the hearts of many who gave much 
gold and saw that they did not give it with love. What 
did he read in the widow's heart ? 

And Jesus counted the mites to be so much, because 
of the love, that he called his disciples to him, to tell 
them about the widow. Shall I read to you what Jesus 
said ? [Teacher reads Mark xii, 43, 44.] 

Now think very carefully or you will answer my ques- 
tions wrong. Would Jesus have been better pleased if 
the rich men, too, had cast in two mites? 



154 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

When will Jesus count a gift of gold or silver for a 
great deal ? 

When does Jesus like a small gift better than a large 
one ? 

THE CLOSING EXERCISE. 

Where were the people putting their money when 
Jesus looked at them ? 

In our church [or Sunday-school] we have no " treas- 
ury," but where do we put the money which we bring? 
How is it spent ? 

[A few minutes might now be very profitably spent in giving the children a 
brief outline of the plan of the benevolence of the Church or Sunday-school. We 
are quite confident that every Sunday-school class should be cultured in definite 
and continuous giving.] 

I thought, before I came here to-day, that I should tell 
you about the missionaries ; and I thought, too, perhaps 
you would like to see some missionaries, so I have 
brought fifty to show you ! I have them here, right 
under my handkerchief. Every Sunday you may send 
one, two, three, four, five, or more missionaries to give 
the Bible to people who do not know about God. Many 
of these missionaries together bought a ship and filled 
it with Bibles, and people to teach about God, and sent 
them to far-away countries where people did not know 
any better than to eat each other. How many of you 
would like to see some of these wonderful missionaries 
that can do so much ? [Teacher lifts the handkerchief.] 
What are they? Pennies! Yes, pennies are the mis- 
sionaries that help us to do so much for God. Two pen- 
nies are somewhat like two mites, because they do not 
make much if we count them so : one, two ; but will 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 155 

Jesus count them as I do if they are given with love? 
No. What makes you think Jesus will count them so 
that they will make a great deal ? Will it be right for 
us to give God a small gift when we have enough money 
to give him a large gift ? 

The Bible tells us how much we ought to give to God. 
Would you like to know ? [Teacher reads 1 Cor. xvi, 2.] 
" Upon the first day of the week let every one of you 
lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him." That 
is, when God makes us able to earn much money, we 
ought to give large gifts in church and Sunday-school ; 
and when we are not able to earn much money, God will 
count little gifts with much love to be a great deal, just 
as he did the widow's two mites. How many of you 
will try to remember how much you ought to give to 
God, and what you ought to give with your gifts ? 

I will tell you of two mites that you can give to God, 
so that all you have shall be his ; that is the gift that 
will please him best. The two mites are your soul and 
your body ; give your heart to do his way, and teach 
your hands and lips and feet to work for him. 



VIII. 

Subject. — The Withered Fig Tree. 

Golden Text. — Gal. v, 22, 23. 

Central Thought. — The Master Looks for Fruit. 

LESSON PLAN. 

The Introductory Exercise will prepare the childien to know that 
God looks for fruit from the fruit-trees of the garden ; afterward, they 
are told the story of the fig-tree which failed to have fruit. Second. 



156 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

teach that God looks among the people he has made for the fruit of 
the Spirit. Third, teach what the fruit of the Spirit is. Fourth, 
teach that without abiding in Christ one cannot bear that fruit. 



THE INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE. 

Who made this world, and all the things and people in it ? 

Can you tell the name of that lovely garden which God 
made for the first man ? Eden. 

The Bible tells us that God planted in that garden 
" trees pleasant to the sight and good for food." 

What trees has God given us that are " good for 
food? " Peach, plum, pear, apple. They are also pleas- 
ant to the sight. 

Now try to name other trees that are pleasant to the 
sight, but are not good for food. Elm, maple, oak. We 
never think these trees are " naughty " because they do 
not give us something good to eat ; but if the trees which 
God has made to be good for food should make leaves 
only, what would you think ought to be done with them ? 

How many of you would like to hear what Jesus said 
should be done to a tree which had been made good for 
food, and yet for three years did not have any fruit ? 
[Let the parable of the fig-tree, as found in Luke xiii, 
6-9, now be told.] 

THE LESSON TAUGHT. 

I can tell you of what Jesus did when he saw another 
fig-tree which had nothing but leaves. How many of 
you would like to hear me talk about it, and read about 
it from the Bible ? I have brought some figs to show 
you what kind of fruit it should have had, but it had 
only — what ? Leaves. 



Twelve Lessons on the life of Christ. 157 

[The teacher should now tell the story of the lesson, having in mind the following 
outline : The journey of Jesus and the disciples ; their hunger; seeing the fig-tree 
afar off ; searching for fruit ; finding none ; Jesus' words to the tree ; the wither- 
ing away ; the passing by in the morning. 

Young children need, more than any other class of pupils, to be held to attention 
by the power of a teacher's eye ; but when they are thoroughly interested they 
will attend to reading. The teacher should, as often as possible, read from the Bi- 
ble, instead of giving the entire lesson in his own words. 

It would add much to the impressiveness of this lesson to have a little withered 
tree to show to the children. Get a little tree early in the week and set it in a 
warm place, where the process of the withering will go on rapidly. 

It may be possible for some teachers to get actual fig-trees from green-houses 
or conservatories, in which case the withering of the tree need not be illustrated, 
but rather the manner of fruit.] 

What two kinds of trees has God made ? Those pleas- 
ant to the sight and good for food, and those only pleasant 
to the sight. 

There are two kinds of people, too. Those who are 
always promising God how good they are going to be 
and how much they are going to do for him, but who 
go away and forget about their promises. Are they like 
the fig-tree which had only leaves, or are they like other 
trees, that have fruit as well as leaves ? 

I want to show you a picture of a promise. [A leaf 
cut out of green paper with a few veins drawn upon it, 
and in the veins this promise written, " I will be good 
like Jesus/'] 

The other kind of people promise God many things, 
and they do just as they promise. Are they like trees 
that have fruit or nothing but leaves ? 

Does God want us to give him only leaves, or leaves 
and fruit too ? 

The Bible tells us just what kind of fruit God wants 
to see in us : " the fruit of the Spirit." This fruit of the 
Spirit is love — love for God and for every body ; joy, 
that is, being glad when we think of Jesus and what he 



158 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

has done for us ; peace, that is, being happy, because 
our heavenly Father loves us and is taking care of us ; 
long suffering, that is, not getting angry with people and 
things that trouble us. Say after me love j joy ; peace ; 
long-suffering. 

Other fruit of the Spirit is gentleness, goodness, and 
faith. And yet there are two other kinds of the fruit of 
the Spirit. One is meekness, that is, slow to get angry ; 
and temperance, that is, doing nothing that will make 
us forget God. 

Let us say now together all the fruit God wants to 
find in us : the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 
long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, 
and temperance. 

This is the picture of what ? [Again showing the 
leaf.] A promise. Read the promise, " I will be good 
like Jesus." 

On the other side — I will turn it over — was the fruit 
which Jesus had. [The fruit of the Spirit, arranged as 
a cluster of nine grapes, in each grape one of the virtues 
written.] 

Let us read. [Teacher reads, and children repeat.] 

How many of you are going to try to be like Jesus ? 

Here is a picture of your promise, " I will be good 
like Jesus." [Showing the leaf as before.] Now, if you 
go away and forget, your promises will be like the leaves 
on the fig-tree, only promises and no fruit. What did 
Jesus tell the fig-tree it should never do any more ? 

There is a time coming to us, if we do not have the 
fruit of the Spirit, when God will say, Your promises 
will do no longer ; let no fruit grow on thee hencefor- 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 159 

ward forever. . And then never more can we have love, 
joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
meekness, and temperance. 

THE CLOSING EXERCISE. 

The teacher with the Primary Superintendent, sings : 

•* NOTHING BUT LEAVES ! » 

Nothing but leaves ' the Spirit grieves 

Over a wasted life ; 
O'er sins indulged while conscience slept, 
O'er vows and promises unkept, 

And reaps from years of strife 
Nothing but leaves, 

Nothing but leaves. 

Nothing but leaves ! no gathered sheaves 

Of life's fair ripening grain ; 
We sow our seeds ; lo ! tares and weeds, 
Words, idle words for earnest deeds ; 

We reap with toil and pain 
Nothing but leaves, 

Nothing but leaves. 

Ah ! who shall thus the Master meet, 

Bearing but withered leaves ? 
Ah ! who shall at the Saviour's feet, 
Before the awful judgment-seat, 

Lay down for golden sheaves 
Nothing but leaves, 

Nothing but leaves ? 

Which will we give to God, promises only, or prom- 
ises and fruit ? 

What fruit ? The fruit of the Spirit. What is the 
fruit of the Spirit ? Love, joy, peace, etc. 

How many of you would like to have this Christ-like 



160 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

fruit instead of naughty, wicked ways ? This vine will 
help me to tell you how you may. 

How many grapes do you see on this piece of vine ? 
None. No grapes grew on it, because it was cut off 
the large vine. It has done nothing but die since it 
was cut off. 

Look at this little branch of the same vine; how full 
of fruit it is ! Because it was left with the large vine it 
has such beautiful and delicious grapes. If it had 
been cut off, like the other, it would not have had fruit 
either, but the large vine helped this little branch to 
grow the grapes. 

Jesus says to us, " I am the vine ; ye are the branch- 
es; he that abideth in me and I in him, the same 
bringeth forth much fruit." What fruit do you think, 
little ones ? The fruit of the Spirit. 

And what is the fruit of the Spirit ? 

Why did this branch have no fruit? — (the withered 
one.) Listen to what Jesus says, " He that abideth in 
me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; 
for without me ye can do nothing." If we will stay close 
to Jesus in love and prayer, he will help us, the branch- 
es, to bear the fruit of the Spirit ; but if we forget him, 
and wander away, we shall bear nothing but leaves, for 
without him we can do nothing. 

I will draw on the blackboard now a leaf for a prom- 
ise, and in the leaf write the fruit of the Spirit, and 
around it write some of Jesus' words. 

[Write within the outline of the leaf the words found 
in John xv, 5.] 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 161 

IX. 

Subject. — The Anointing at Bethany. 
Golden Text. — Acts x, 4. 

Central Thought. — Our good works are acceptable to 
God. 

LESSON PLAN. 

I. To review the widow's gift of two mites. 2, To tell of the 
" precious"' gift of Mary to Jesus. 3. To teach that our prayers and 
alms are as a sweet smelling ointment offered to God. 4. To teach 
that prayers and alms come up as a memorial before God and 
anoint him King. 

INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE. 

Who put two mites into the treasury ? 

Who saw her do it ? 

Did Jesus tell any one about it ? 

Whom did Jesus see besides the widow casting money 
into the treasury ? Did they give large or small 
gifts ? 

Why did the widow not put in more than two 
mites ? 

What did Jesus tell his disciples about the widow's 
gift? 

What does Jesus count to be more, large gifts with- 
out love, or small gifts with love ? What are God's 
words about how much we ought to give for doing 
good ? [Let the class repeat, after the teacher, " Upon 
the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by 
him in store, as God hath prospered him."] 

Learn to-day of another woman who showed her love 

by her gifts. 
11 



1 62 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



THE LESSON TAUGHT. 

Do you all know what perfume is ? [The teacher 
might have some perfume on her handkerchief, or in a 
bottle, to let the children smell of, thus gaining their 
attention at once.] 

I have been reading in the Bible to-day of a woman 
whose name was Mary. She bought a beautiful white 
alabaster box, filled with smelling paste or ointment. It 
cost a great deal of money ; as much as one man could 
earn in a year. 

How many of you are wondering why Mary bought 
the box of ointment ? 

She brought it with her when she came into Simon's 
house, where Jesus was at the table eating. Do you 
think she gave it to Jesus? Yes. I suppose you are 
thinking that Mary handed the box to Jesus and told 
him it was a present — eh ? But that was not the way 
Mary gave it. She broke the box open, and poured 
the sweet-smelling ointment on Jesus' head and feet, and 
she wiped his feet. with her long hair. 

How many of you think that Mary showed a great 
deal of love for Jesus ? 

The Israelites used to pray by offering perfume to God. 
Instead of praying by words as we do, they prayed by 
burning sweet perfumes ; the smoke going up to heaven 
took their prayers to God. God told them they should 
pray in that way. How does God want us to pray ? 
By words spoken with Jesus' name. When our prayers 
come up to God, they are like sweet-smelling incense to 
him. And so are all our gifts to the Church and every 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 163 

thing we do for him. Then let us call our prayers 
and alms the sweet ointment which we have to give to 
God. 

How much money did Mary pay for her box of oint- 
ment ? As much as a man could earn in one year. 

I want to give to God more than I can do in one 
year. I want to be giving to him, and doing for him, 
all the years of my life ; do not you ? 

In what kind of a box did Mary bring her oint- 
ment ? 

We must bring our prayers and alms to Jesus in a red 
box. Jesus has told us what shape he wants the box to 
be, and he wants it to be filled to the very top with 
prayers and good thoughts. I have made a pattern to 
show you what the shape of the box should be. [A red 
paper heart.] 

Now I think you can tell what the red boxes are in 
which we must bring our prayers and gifts and works to 
Jesus ? Our hearts. 

What did Mary do with the beautiful white box be- 
fore she could take out the ointment ? She broke it. 

The Bible tells us that God is best pleased with a 
broken heart. A heart sorry for sin is a broken heart. 
How many of you think, then, that you have broken 
hearts ? When a heart is broken, love and prayer 
and good works will be coming out of it all the 
while. 

In whose house was Jesus when Mary brought the 
alabaster box of ointment ? Jesus' disciples were with 
him there. Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples, and in 
whose father's house Jesus was, said, " Why was this 



164 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

waste of ointment? For it might have been sold for 
more than three hundred pence, and given to the 
poor ; " and all the disciples spoke against Mary. Do 
you think it was a waste ? No. It is not a waste to 
give any thing we have to Jesus. 

Shall I read to you what Jesus said to the disciples 
about Mary ? [The teacher reads from the sixth to the 
ninth verse of the fourteenth chapter of Mark.] 

The perfume which I have with me to-day will soon 
go away and we shall forget all about it ; but the per- 
fume which Mary brought to Jesus will never'be for- 
gotten, for Jesus said that her good act shall be spoken 
of every-where as a memorial of her. That is why you 
and I are talking of it to-day. 

Once there was a good man, named Cornelius, who 
gave much alms and prayed to God always. One day 
he saw an angel of God coming in to him and saying 
unto him, " Cornelius ! " And when he looked on him 
he was afraid, and said, " What is it, Lord ? " And he 
said unto him, " Thy prayers and thine alms are come 
up for a memorial before God." And there was great 
rejoicing in heaven about Cornelius's prayers and alms. 
How many of you would like your words and works to 
come up for a memorial before God and have them 
spoken of in heaven ? 

What did I tell you, a little while ago, that our 
prayers and alms are like to God ? Like sweet-smelling 
incense. 

Out of what kind of a box must we take our prayers 
and alms ? Must the box te whole or broken ? When 
is a heart broken ? 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 165 

Dear ones, if we do as Cornelius did, that is, give 
much alms and prayers always, something within us 
will whisper, " Thy prayers and thine alms are come 
up for a memorial before God/' and when our names 
shall be spoken of in heaven there will be great 
rejoicing. 

THE CLOSING EXERCISE. 

What did the widow give because she loved God^? 

What did Mary give ? 

How did Mary give the precious ointment to Jesus ? 

Was there any one at Simon's house who was not 
pleased to have the ointment given to Jesus ? 

Was Jesus pleased with Mary's act ? 

What did Jesus say to the disciples ? 

In the days long ago, when the people were going 
to make a man their king, they put oil or ointment 
upon him. Mary had taken Jesus for her king, so she 
anointed him with ointment. Jesus is my king. I 
anoint him with my prayers, and words, and works. 
Will not all the little children here to-day take Jesus 
for their king? How many of you will try to bring to 
him the precious ointment of your prayers and words ? 
Will he know, away up in heaven, what we are trying to 
do for him away down on this earth ? I think you have 
been learning a verse that tells us about this; try to 
say it : " Thy prayers and thine alms have come up for a 
memorial before God." 

How much did Mary pay for the ointment which she 
gave her king ? As much as one man could earn in a 
year. You and I ought to give our whole lives to Jesus, 



1 66 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

our king. You are so young now, that if you live until 
you grow to be old, how much alms and many prayers 
you can give to Jesus ! And they shall come up as a 
memorial before God and make rejoicing in heaven ! I 
am sure that will make you happier than for father or 
mother, or any one else, to tell you that they are pleased 
with you. 



Subject. — Jesus the King. 
Golden Text. — Rev. xvii, 14. 

Central Thought. — The invisible glory of the King of 
kings. 

LESSON PLAN. 
I. To talk about the surroundings of a king. 2. To teach that 
because Jesus' kingly belongings were not visible, he suffered perse- 
cution. 3. To talk about Jesus' kingship, and the glory he has with 
the Father. 

INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE. 

[Let the teacher bring before the class a picture of a king, one as large as it 
is possible to get. While the children are looking at it, let them be asked to 
name what they see the king has, a crown, a scepter, rich clothing, etc. After- 
ward they may be led to name other appointments of a king, things which they 
know about, but do not see in the picture, as a royal palace, a court, grand 
equipages, etc.] 

Once there lived a man who called himself a king; 
people were very angry because he called himself so, 
for they saw no crown on his head, nor scepter in his 
hand ; he wore clothes just like the people who worked ; 
indeed, when he was very young, and until he was thirty 
years old, he had been a carpenter. The people saw no 
throne for this king, but instead, he sat by the side of a 
well, or on the grass when he was tired. They did not 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 167 

see him living in a palace ; indeed, he told them that 
" he had not where to lay his head." The people did 
not see this man who called himself a king ride in grand 
carriages, but they often saw him w r alk in the dusty 
road, over mountains and valleys, until he was foot-sore 
and weary. They did not see him choosing grand lords 
and ladies for his friends, but instead, fishermen, and 
sinful and despised people. Was he or was he not a 
king, what do you think ? 

[If a few children should recognize Jesus in the description thus given, it will be 
best not to confirm them at present, as a certain degree of curious interest may still 
be maintained with the majority of the class.] 

How did I tell you, in the beginning, the people felt 
toward this man who called himself a king ? Angry. 
Yes, and they were so angry about it that they paid a 
man thirty pieces of silver to catch him and bring him 
to them. Then they took him before their governor, 
hoping that he would be punished, or, perhaps, killed. 
When the governor saw the king without a crown, what 
do you think he asked him ? 

[Many answers will probably be made to this last question, possibly the right 
answer, " Art thou a king, then ? " But if it should not be given, let it be read 
from the Bible by the teacher.] 

Do you think this man without a crown on his head, 
without a scepter in his hand, without a palace, without 
rich clothing, without great friends or grand carriages ; 
do you think he would dare to tell the governor that he 
was a king ? How many of you think he would not dare 
to do it ? [Many hands are raised.] He did dare to 
answer, " Thou sayest truly ; I am a king." When he 
saw that the governor was wondering about his throne 



168 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

and his crown, he said, " My kingdom is not of this 
world." That means that it is far away from here. 

If I should tell you the name of that King, I believe 
you could tell where his kingdom was. His name was 

Jesus ! Where was his kingdom ? In heaven. Yes, 

and he had come to make another kingdom. I will not 
ask you where now. 

The governor told the people, '* I find no fault in 
him at all,'* and he would not punish him. Then the 
people gave him a crown, not such a crown as you are 
thinking about, but a- crown of thorns as sharp as nee- 
dles. They put it on his head and called him King, 
and struck the crown so as to drive the thorns into his 
head. 

You shall hear more about this in a few minutes. 

THE CLOSING EXERCISE. 

(By the Primary Superintendent.) 

How many of you have been learning about this king 
in your classes ? [holding up the picture shown in the 
Introductory Exercise J I do not see any hands up ; you 
must have been learning about some other king. I think 
I can show you his picture. [A picture of Christ crowned 
with thorns is shown.] Where is Jesus' kingdom ? How 
many of you have taken him for your king ? [Hands 
raised.] O ! I see so many hands, I am sure a part of 
Jesus' kingdom must be here. It cannot all be in heaven, 
a part of it must be in your hearts. I remember now 
that Jesus did say, if any one would love him, and try 
to do as he commanded, he would come and live in 
that heart ; so that all of you who have taken Jesus 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 169 

for your king have a part of his kingdom in your 
hearts. 

I have here a picture of the crown which the angry 
people put upon Jesus. [Have drawn crowns of thorns 
and laurel interwoven.] The thorns were so much 
sharper than they look to be in the picture. How 
many of you see two crowns ? Do they both seem to 
be made of thorns ? God let John look up to heaven, 
and he saw many crowns on Jesus' head. I did not 
know how many of Jesus' heavenly crowns look, and 
so I had one of leaves made, such as great kings some- 
times wear, a crown of laurel. 

Do you think when John was looking up into heaven 
he saw Jesus in working clothes ? No. John tells us 
in the Bible that he saw him clothed in blood-red gar- 
ments, and John said he saw the crowns of all the kings 
on his head. Do you think John saw him walking in 
the dusty way, or sitting on a well to rest ? No. He saw 
him riding on a white horse, such as kings ride on. Do 
you think John saw sinful and wicked people following 
him ? No. John has written in the Bible that he saw 
the whole army of heaven following him on white horses 
like kings; they were the sinful people all made holy. 
Perhaps you will follow him thus some day ! Every 
thing in Jesus' kingdom was more beautiful than John 
could find words to tell about. 



170 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

XI. 

Subject. — Jesus on the Cross. 

Golden Text. — Isa. liii, 6. 

Central Thought. — Heaven opened by the Cross. 

LESSON PLAN. 

I. To awaken fresh interest in the Cross. 2. To direct that inter- 
est from the cross for the sins of the whole world. 3. To teach that 
all who would be saved by the cross of Christ must present their 
bodies a living sacrifice. 

INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE. 

If you should come to Sunday-school early in the 
morning, before light, how would you find the door? 
Locked. Yes ; and if you should turn the door-knob 
many times and knock, knock, knock, you could not 
get in. If it were not for Jesus the door of heaven 
would be locked, and we could never hope to get in. 

What do -I hold in my hand ? A key. It is the key 
to our Sunday-school room. When the Sunday-school 
door is locked, what can we do with this key? I am 
thinking, perhaps, you would like to see the key which 
unlocks the door of heaven ; how many of you would ? 
I cannot show it to you, for it is lost ; for it was left on 
Mount Calvary. 

Of what does this Sunday-school key seem to be 
made ? Brass. The key of heaven was made of wood. 
This Sunday-school key is small, only as long as my 
finger ; the key of heaven was longer than my whole 
body. The key of heaven was not shaped like our 
Sunday-school key: how many of you wish you might 
see a picture of it ? I believe any little child here can 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 171 

make something like it out of these two strips of paper 
which you see in my hand ; will some one try ? [A 
child places the strips so as to make a cross.] Yes, 
that is a picture of the key of heaven. All say after 
me, " The Cross is the key of heaven." 

Your teachers are waiting now to tell you how Jesus 
unlocked heaven with such a key. 

THE LESSON TAUGHT. 

If you and I should come to the Sunday-school door 
and find it locked, do you think it would be easy for us 
to get in if we had the key ? How many of you think 
it was easy for Jesus to unlock heaven with the cross ? 
How many of you think it was hard ? Where do you 
think Jesus got the key? [Many different answers 
will probably be made.] Those angry people whom 
you learned about last Sunday made it. Why were they 
angry ? 

They did not know they were making the key of 
heaven when they took two pieces of wood and nailed 
them together. Although they did not make the cross 
for the key of heaven, Jesus used it for that. Now I 
am going to tell you whether or not it was hard for 
Jesus to unlock heaven. 

The angry people told him to take up the heavy cross 
and carry it to Mount Calvary. Jesus sometimes almost 
fainted by the way, for his back was cut and bleeding 
where they had beaten him with leather whips. And 
his feelings were hurt by the wicked and cruel things 
that had been said about him and to him. It was very 
hard for Jesus to carry the cross, but he knew what 



172 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

nobody else did — that it was the key of heaven ; that 
made him willing to bear it and suffer. After a while 
they met a man named Simon, and they made him carry 
Jesus' cross. At last, when the crowd of angry people 
reached Mount Calvary, " Jesus was stripped naked of 
his clothes ; then followed the most awful- moment of 
all. He was lain down at full length upon the imple- 
ment of torture ; his arms were stretched along the cross- 
beams, and at the very center of the open palms, first 
of the right, then of the left hand, the point of a huge 
iron nail was placed, which, by the blow of a mallet, was 
driven home into the wood, crushing with excruciating 
pain all the fine nerves and muscles of the hands through 
which they were driven. Then the legs were drawn 
down at full length, and through either foot separately, 
or possibly through both together, as they were placed 
one over the other, another huge nail tore its way 
through the quivering and bleeding flesh . . . and then 
the accursed tree, with its living human burden hanging 
upon it in helpless agony and suffering, was slowly raised 
up by strong arms, and the end of it fixed firmly in a 
hole dug deep in the ground for that purpose." * 

[Let the teacher here add the incidents given in the 
lesson of the day. See John xix, 25-30, omitting, how- 
ever, the last-named verse.] 

Jesus would have hung on the cross for two or three 
days before dying, but when he thought of all the wicked 
people in the world he thought of you and me ; then 
his heart broke, and he died after he had been on the 
cross only six hours. He died of a broken heart ! And 
* Farrar's " Life of Christ." 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 173 

when he died, heaven was unlocked. Was it hard or 
easy for Jesus to unlock heaven ? 

THE CLOSING EXERCISE. 

The children and teachers sing, 

" Alas ! and did my Saviour bleed," etc. 

Now that heaven is unlocked, will there be room 'for 
everybody there ? Yes. Now I think I can help you 
to know who will be there. [The teacher calls out a 
little boy and tells him to stand with his feet close to- 
gether, and his arms stretched out horizontally at the 
side.] Now you may all look at his shape and tell me 
what it is like. Like a cross / What is like this part ? 
[pointing to the top of the cross drawn on the black- 
board.] His head. And these two parts ? His arms. 
Each one of you may stand in the shape of a cross. 

We must act like crosses, as well as stand like them, 
if we want to get into that heaven which Jesus has un- 
locked. What can we do with this part of our crosses 
for Jesus ? [pointing to the head.] Think about him, 
read about /urn, listen to words about him, and tell others 
about him. What can we do with these parts of the 
cross for Jesus ? [pointing to the hands.] What can we 
do with these parts ? [pointing to the feet.] Everybody 
who lives like a cross will be in heaven which Jesus has 
unlocked. 

Now your teachers will give you each a little paper 
" key of heaven," (cross,) which has on it the verse 
for you to learn for next Sunday about Jesus unlocking 
heaven. How many of you will try to learn the verse ? 



174 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

XII. 

Subject. — The Risen Lord. 
Golden Text.— Rev. i, 18. 
Central Thought. — Omnipresence. 

LESSON PLAN. 

I. The introductory exercise is intended to create a longing for the 
near presence of Christ. 2. To teach that Jesus satisfied that same 
longing felt by the apostles. 3. To teach that we may seek and 
have the same Spirit of consolation and help. 

INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE. 

I think you all know who are in this picture. [Teacher 
shows a picture of Christ blessing little children.] And 
I think you can repeat some of the words which Jesus 
said when the mothers wanted to bring the little ones 
to him : " Suffer little children to come unto me, and 
forbid them not : for of such is the kingdom of God." 

How many of you have heard or can sing that little 
hymn : 

" I think, when I read that sweet story of old, 
When Jesus was here among men, 
How he called little children as lambs to his fold, 
I should like to have been with them then. 

" I wish that his hands had been placed on my head, 
That his arms had been thrown around me ; 
And that I might have seen his kind look when he said, 
Let the little ones come unto me.' " 

[If the hymn is known let these two verses be sung.] 

I know of a little boy who, when he had laid his 
head on his soft, clean pillow to sleep all night, said, 



Twelve Lessons on the Life of Christ. 175 

" Mamma, if Jesus were here I would give him half of 
my pillow." 

How many of you wish Jesus were here on earth to- 
day ? 

Would he seem nearer to you than he does now ? 

THE LESSON TAUGHT. 

Can any little child tell why we do not see Jesus here 
to-day ? Because he has gone to his Father. 

How could Jesus go to his Father when he had been 
crucified and lain in the grave ? He rose from the dead 
after three days. 

Would you like to know who saw him first after he 
was risen from the dead ? Mary Magdalene, out of 
whom Jesus had cast seven devils. She came to Jesus' 
grave weeping ; " and as she wept, she stooped down, 
and looked into the sepulcher, and seeth two angels in 
white. . . . And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest 
thou ? " 

" She saith unto them, Because they have taken away 
my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." 

[Let the teacher complete this account by reading from the twentieth chapter 
of John.] 

Would you like to know who besides Mary Magda- 
lene saw Jesus after he was risen from the dead ? 

[Tell briefly about Jesus walking and talking with the two disciples on their 
way to Emmaus. See Luke xxiv, 13-22.] 

There were others who saw Jesus after he was risen 
from the dead. Would you like to have me tell you 
who they were, and where they saw him ? 

[Let the teacher now tell about Jesus' appearance to the apostles at Jerusalem, 
adding to Mark's account the accompanying incidents recorded by Luke and John, 



176 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

namely : Jesus showing his hands and desiring them to handle him, and see that 
he was not a spirit ; the eating of the broiled fish and honeycomb ; and Thomas's 
doubtings. Tell them of the five hundred who saw him. 1 Cor. xv, 6.] 

How many of you want to know how long Jesus was 
on earth, after he was risen from the dead, before he 
went to his father ? For forty days he was seen by his 
apostles, and he talked with them about the work they 
should do after he would go. After those forty days, 
and while they were standing together, Jesus was 
parted from them. He was taken up, and a cloud re- 
ceived him out of their sight. 

[Let the teacher read the latter part of the account from the Bible to the children. 
See Acts i, 9.] 

When he reached heaven he sat down at the right 
hand of God, the best place in heaven. 

What did Jesus say the disciples should have power 
to do after he should go to heaven ? I see you have 
forgotten. I will read again what Jesus promised to 
make them able to do. [Teacher reads Mark xvi, 17, 
18.] And at another time, Jesus said they should do 
the same things and greater things than he had done. 
He could help them more if he were in heaven than 
if he were on the earth. 

[" Christ was taken from the earth, not because his 
work was completed, but that he might better move 
the world from the altitude of the heavens." Christ 
manifested greater power over the hearts of men after 
he had ascended. When the cloud had received him out 
of their sight, the disciples "stood gazing up into heav- 
en." Before this they had looked earthward to mira- 
cles and ceremonies, to " the seen and the temporal ; " 
now they began to look into "the unseen and eternal." 



Twelve Lessons on tlie Life of Christ. 177 

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all 
men unto me." That passage belongs to the ascension 
as well as to the crucifixion. 

These few thoughts have been written particularly for 
the teachers' own hearts, and also with the thought 
that they may distill them as drops of dew upon the 
hearts of their little pupils.] 

THE CLOSING EXERCISE. 

Do you not think the disciples were lonely when 
Jesus was gone ? Yes. O, no ; he could send his 
Spirit into their very hearts, and that would be closer 
than to walk by their side. But I suppose your foolish 
little hearts are wondering how Jesus could be closer 
to his disciples by being in heaven than by being on 
earth ; but Jesus has said he would, and that ought to 
be enough for you and me. 

Perhaps you are saying, as that little boy did, " If 
Jesus were here I would give him half of my pillow ; " 
or perhaps you are saying as the little child in the 
song did : — 

" I wish that his hands had been placed on my head, 
That his arms had been thrown around me ; 
And that I might have seen his kind look when he said, 
' Let the little ones come unto me.' " 

I wish you would be more like the little child in the 
hymn I am going to repeat to you now : — 

" Dear Jesus ! ever at my side ; 

How loving thou must be 
To leave thy home in heaven, to save 

A little child like me. 
12 



178 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

' Thy beautiful and shining face 
I see not, though so near ; 
The sweetness of thy soft, low voice 
I am too deaf to hear. 

" But I have felt thee in my thoughts, 
Fighting with sin for me ; 
And when my heart loves God, I know 
The sweetness is from thee. 

11 Yes ; when I pray thou prayest too ; 
Thy prayer is all for me ; 
But when I sleep thou sleepest not, 
But watchest patiently." 

Like which one will you be ? 

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to help the apostles to do 
their great duties ; and he will send the same Spirit to 
help you in your little duties if your hearts are full of 
faith and prayer, to help you believe his promises. 



PRIMARY CLASS CONCERTS. 



INTRODUCTORY NOTE. 

" What can the Primary class do at a Sunday-school concert ? " 
To an audience there is a charm about any thing which little chil- 
dren do. Simply their winsome ways insure appreciative interest. 
Little songs, particularly when accompanied by motions, always 
please. Recitations of poems at times are good ; but a bright, in- 
teresting lesson given by their teacher, showing the older pupils how 
wee ones think and talk in Sunday-school, would, perhaps, please 
best of all. 

The primary class should not usually occupy more than half an 
hour at a concert. The exercises which follow are prepared for 
that time or a little less. Like all Sunday-school concerts, those of 
a primary class should combine, as far as possible, the three qualities 
of unity, instructiveness, and spirituality. 



I. CONCERT ON JESUS OUR SHEPHERD. 

i. Dialogue between a child and a shepherd, or be- 
tween the teacher and a shepherd : — 

Teacher. Shepherd, what are you doing to your 
sheep ? 

Shepherd. I am leading them out of the sheep- 
fold. 

T. How did they know you wanted them to leave the 
sheep-fold ? 

S. I do not drive them, (as they do in this country,) 
I go before them ; I call each one by his own name ; 
they know my voice, and follow me. 



180 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

T. Shepherd, what would your sheep do if a stranger, 
instead of you, should call them to follow him? 

6*. They would not follow a stranger ; they would turn 
and run from him. 

T. Where do your sheep get something to eat and 
water to drink ? 

S. I lead them in green pastures and beside still 
waters. 

T. Can the little lambs walk so far, shepherd ? 

6". I carry them in my bosom when they are tired, 
and then their mothers walk very close beside me. 

T. When the night comes on what do you do with 
your sheep ? 

*S. I take them to the fold. 

T. Does anybody or any thing ever trouble you in 
taking care of your sheep ? 

iS". Yes, thieves try to get into the fold to steal my 
sheep. They do not go in by the door, but climb over 
the wall. The wolf, the leopard, and the panther, when 
they are very hungry, will leap over the walls of the 
fold, although it is thickly covered with thorns, to get 
some of my sheep to eat; but I am always ready to 
fight both the thieves and the animals. 

[The shepherd's costume might be easily and inex- 
pensively imitated in the following manner. A plain cap 
cut out of sheep-skin with the wool on, a skirt of blue 
cambric, coming to the knees, sewed together at the 
lower part, leaving places for the limbs to pnss through ; 
a short loose sack of sheep-skin, a pair of long stock- 
ings, a pair of loose slippers or sandals, and a long cane 
with a crook.] 



Primary Class Concerts. 181 

2. Concert Recitation of the Twenty-third Psalm. 

3. Song — " We're the Lambs of the Flock." P. 43, 
Songs for Little Folks. 

4. Recitation of passages of Scripture about shep- 
herds. See Gen. iv, 2 : Abel, a shepherd. Gen. 
xii, 16: Abram, a shepherd. Gen. xiii, 5: Isaac, a 
shepherd. Exod ii, 15-17: Moses helping the shep- 
herdesses. 1 Sam. xvii, 15 : David, a shepherd. John 
x, 14: The Good Shepherd. John x, 15, last clause; 
Ezek. xxxiv, 12; Matt, xviii, 11-14; John x, 16, last 
clause ; 1 Peter v, 4. 

5. Song—" He Shall Feed His Flock." P. 47, Songs 
for Little Folks. 

6. Recitation : — 



" Jesus my shepherd is, 

'Twas he that loved my soul, 
' Twas he that washed me in his blood, 

'Twas he that made me whole ; 
'Twas he that sought the lost, 

That found the wand'ring sheep, 
'Twas he that brought me to the fold, 

'Tis he that still doth keep." 

7. Recitation : — 

"'He feedeth his flock like a shepherd, 

The weak, by his mercy, are strong ; 
He comforts the hearts in affliction, 

Their wailing he changes to song. 
He bends with an eye of compassion, 

Whatever our trials may be, 
And says, while he pities the mourner, 

' My grace is sufficient for thee.' 



1 82 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

" ' He feedeth his flock like a shepherd,' 

And succors the poor and oppressed ; 
The lambs in his arms he will gather, 

And carry them safe on his breast. 
With clouds of temptation around us, 

Whatever the conflict may be, 
He whispers to each, in his goodness, 

' My grace is sufficient for thee.' 

"'He feedeth his flock like a shepherd,' 

And giveth the weary repose ; 
He leads them beside the still waters, 

Where pleasure eternally flows. 
His banner of love will defend us, 

Whatever the danger may be, 
We know, for his word has declared it, 

' My grace is sufficient for thee.' " 

8. Recitation : — 

" See the kind Shepherd, Jesus, stands 

With all engaging charms ; 
Hark, how he calls the tender lambs, 

And folds them in his arms. 
The feeblest lamb amid the flock 

Shall be its Shepherd's care : 
While folded in the Saviour's arms, 

We're safe from every snare." 

9. Song or Recitation by four pupils ; — 

Tune — " Near the Cross. 11 

First Pupil. " I was but a little lamb, 

From the Shepherd straying, 
When I heard within my heart 
Some one softly saying : — . 
4 Follow me, follow me, 
I will safely guide thee 
Through the stormy waves of life, 
Walking close beside thee.' " 



Primary Class Concerts. 

Second Pupil. " Into danger I would go 

But for this protection ; 
I should miss of heaven, I know, 

But for this direction : 
" Follow me, follow me, 

I will safely guide thee 
Through the stormy ways of life, 

Walking close beside thee.'" 

Third Pupil. ' Never turning from that voice, 

Never disobeying, 
Let me know that unto me 

Christ is always saying : 
1 Follow me, follow me, 

I will safely guide thee 
Through the stormy waves of life, 

Walking close beside thee.' " 

Fourth Pupil. " Early to His loving care 

Shall my heart be given, 
For each step I take with him 

Brings me nearer heaven. 
1 Follow me, follow me,' 
Is the Saviour saying 
Unto every little lamb 

Who from him is straying." 

— Josephine Pollard, 

10. Recitation by one pupil : — 

" The Lord is my Shepherd, how happy am I ! 
How tender and watchful my wants to supply ; 
He daily provides me with raiment and food ; 
Whate'er he denies me is meant for my good. 

" The Lord is my shepherd, then I must obey 
His gracious commandments, and walk in his way ; 
His fear he will teach me, my heart he'll renew, 
And though I am sinful, my sins he'll subdue. 

" The Lord is my Shepherd, hew happy am I ! 
I'm blest while I live, and am blest when I die ; 



183 



184 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

In death's gloomy valley no evil I'll dread, 
For I will be with thee, my Shepherd hath said. 

" The Lord is my Shepherd, I'll sing with delight, 
Till call'd to adore him in regions of light ; 
Then praise him with angels on bright harps of gold, 
And ever and ever his glory behold." 

11. Singing — "Saviour, like a Shepherd lead Us. v 
P. 31, Songs for Little Folks. 



II. CONCERT ON PRAYER. 

1. Chant — "The Lord's Prayer." P. 51, Songs for 
Little Folks. 

2. Duet and Chorus — " The Child's Prayer." P. 37, 
Songs for Little Folks. 

3. Bible Recitations by different members of the 
class : — 

Teacher. What is prayer ? 

Children. 1. "Conversation in heaven." Phil, iii, 20. 

2. "Talking with God." Exod. xxxii, 9-1 1. 

3. " Telling Jesus." Matt, xiv, 12. 

4. " Speaking in the heart." 1 Sam. i, 13. 

5. " Drawing near to God with the heart." 

Heb. x, 22. 

4. Singing — " Then Tell Jesus." P. 36, Songs for 
Little Folks. 

5. Recitation by a little child — " Dear Jesus ever at 
my Side." (See p. 61 of this book.) 

6. Recitation by the whole class — " Satan hath de- 
sired to have you : . . . but I have prayed for thee, that 
thy faith fail not." Luke xxii, 31, 32. 



Primary Class Concerts. 185 

7. Singing — "Heavenly Father, Teach thy Little 
Child to Pray." P. 27, Songs for Little Folks. 

8. Primary Class Lesson — Subject : How to Pray. 
Golden Text : 1 Cor. xiv, 15. 

Central Thought : Prayer is the sincere desire of the 
heart. 

When we have had something new, or something has 
happened in our homes, how can we tell grandma or 
aunty, or any of the dear friends who live in another 
city ? We can write letters. Here is a letter [showing 
one] that came to me from my mother, who lives far 
away. Whose name has it here ? [pointing to the su- 
perscription.] Yours. Yes ; the postmaster read my 
name and sent the letter to me. I once read about a 
postmaster who found a letter in the post-office directed 
" To God." The postmaster could not send letters to 
God, and so he opened the letter and found that it had 
been written by a little boy whose father and mother 
were dead, and he wanted God to take care of him. 

Several years ago my grandfather left our home and 
went to God's home. When I knew that he was so soon 
to see and talk with Jesus, whom I had loved so long and 
so dearly, I thought I must ask him to say something to 
Jesus for me, and I did send a little message. How 
many of you think that was a good way to do ? But, 
after all, it is sweeter and better to talk to Jesus our- 
selves than to send messages to him by friends. We 
need not be afraid that he will not hear, for he is so near 
to all who want to talk with him that he has said, 
" While they are yet speaking, I will hear." What do 
we call talking with God ? Praying. 



1 86 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

There are three ways to pray ; two are right, and one 
is wrong. I think you sometimes pray when you are 
thinking about play or something else : that is praying 
with the lips and without the heart. The second way 
is to pray in the heart while the lips pray. The third 
way is to pray in the heart, while the lips do not move. 
Which do you think is the wrong way ? To pray with the 
lips and without the heart. Yes, I think that is almost 
like telling a lie to God. How does God want us to 
pray ? With the heart ; with the heart and lips to- 
gether. If little children, when they pray, should put 
their hands on their hearts instead of this way, [imi- 
tating the usual manner of folding hands,] I do not 
think it would help them to pray right. 

Look at these two flowers. They look exactly alike. 
One is a true flower, because God made it ; and the 
other is a false flower, because some man or woman 
made it. Can you tell which is the real one and which 
is the false one ? [Let them be so exactly alike that it 
will be impossible to do this by simply looking at them. 
A carnation makes a good illustration.] I suppose the 
bees would know if we should let them come in. That 
is the way King Solomon once did to find out which 
were God's flowers and which were false flowers in two 
wreaths that looked exactly alike. Which wreath of 
flowers do you think the bees went to as soon as the 
windows were opened and they came in ? I will let 
you smell of these two flowers, and then, perhaps, you 
can tell me which is the true flower. [Let the flowers 
be passed around.] Ah ! I see you know all about it 
now. Two kinds of prayer are like the true flower, and 



Primary Class Concerts. 187 

one kind is like the false flower. Which kind is like 
the false flower ? Praying without the heart. Some- 
times, when you pray, you forget what to say next, and 
have to begin all over again. Like which flower is your 
prayer then ? Like the false flower. Sometimes you 
pray when you are so tired that you would rather go to 
sleep. Like which flower is your prayer then ? Some- 
times you feel very sure, while you are praying, that God 
will give you what you ask for. Like which flower is 
your prayer then ? Like the true flower. Sometimes 
you do not know what the words of your prayer mean. 
Like which flower is your prayer then ? 

How many of you pray every day ? How many of 
you pray at night and in the morning too ? I would like 
to hear some of the prayers you make. [Allow time for 
several to be repeated.] Do you think you make them 
false or true prayers ? 

The Bible tells us to " Pray with the spirit and with 
the understanding ; " that is, pray with your hearts. 

Now let us try to make a true prayer to God. Tell 
me what good gifts God has given you, for which you 
want to thank him. [Encourage the children to speak 
of every-day blessings, such as friends, homes, breath, 
food, water, etc., as well as special blessings.] Now I 
will try to remember all you have told me, and make a 
prayer of thanks to God. [The teacher makes short 
sentences, and the children repeat them.] 

Now, as we have said the thanking part of our prayer, 
let us say the asking part. Tell me what you would 
like God to do for you, and I will try to remember all 
you say. [If improper things are desired, let the teacher 



1 88 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

kindly object, and tell why it would not be right. Let 
the prayer then be made as before.] 

Singing — " Loving Father, hear thy children." [All 
kneeling.] P. 25, Songs for Little Folks. 



III. CONCERT ON TEMPERANCE. 

1. Singing — " The Bird's Temperance Song." P. 114, 
Songs for Little Folks. 

2. Dialogue between one little boy and the whole 
class. 

Boy. " Who hath woe ? " 

Class. " Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink. 
Woe unto them that follow strong drink." 

B. " Who hath sorrow ? " 

C. " They that tarry long at the wine." 

B. " Who hath contentions ? " 

C. " They that go to seek mixed wine." 

B. " Who hath babblings ? " 

C. " Wine is a mocker." 

B. " Who hath wounds without cause ? " 

C. " Strong drink is raging : and whosoever is deceived 
thereby is not wise. [Then] Look not thou upon the 
wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, 
when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like 
a serpent, and stingeth like an adder." 

3. Recitation by a boy. 

" I would like to have ruddy cheeks, and bright eyes, 
and strong limbs. But they say that strong drink dims 
the eye, and whitens the cheek, and enfeebles the frame ; 
therefore I will not drink at all. 



Primary Class Concerts. 189 

" I would like to have a clear mind, so that I may be 
able to think on great things, and serve God, and do 
good to others, and prepare to die. But they say that 
strong drink clouds the mind, and often destroys it ; 
therefore I will not drink at all. 

" I would like to have a peaceful heart and a quiet 
conscience, so that I may be happy while I am here. 
But they say that strong drink fills many a heart with 
misery, and implants in many a conscience a sting ; 
therefore I will not drink at all. 

" I would like to have a quiet home and happy fire- 
side, where I could rejoice with loving brothers, and sis- 
ters, and parents. But they say that strong drink makes 
ten thousand homes wretched and miserable; therefore 
I will not drink at all. 

" I would like to go to heaven when I die, that I may 
dwell with Jesus in glory forever. But they say that 
strong drink keeps many from entering into heaven, and 
casts them down to hell ; therefore I will not drink at 
all." — Selected. 

4. Singing by the girls — "Don't Drink it, Boys." 
P. 116, Songs for Little Folks. 

5. Recitation by a boy. 

DOWN HILL. 
A story they tell of a lunatic man. 
Who slid down hill in a warming-pan. 
He steered himself with the handle, of course, 
And clucked away, as he would to a horse. 

His legs, it is true, were somewhat in the way, 
And his seat rather tight, as a body might say ; 
But he landed all right at the foot of the hill, 
And, for all that I know, is sitting there still. 



190 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

You smile at the story, and wonder how folks 
Can get from their brains such a terrible hoax ; 
But sliding down hill is many a man 
On a much worse thing than a warming-pan. 

Some are going full speed on their pride, 
And others on their stinginess slide ; 
But the strangest way of taking that ride, 
Is to go, as some do, on a rum-jug astride. 

Beware of such coasting, or, like Jack and Gill, 
You'll make some work in getting down hill. 
Beware, for with what other evils you tug, 
'Tis nothing like sliding down hill on a jug. 

— By Uncle Charles. 

6. Recitation by a boy. 

MY SPEECH. 
" You'd scarce expect one of my age 
To plead for Temperance on the stage ; 
And should I chance to fall below, 
Portraying all the drunkard's woe, 
Don't view me with a critic's eye, 
Nor pass my simple story by. 

" Large streams from little fountains flow ; 
Great sots from moderate drinkers grow ; 
And though I now am small and young, 
No rum shall ever touch my tongue. 

" Mayn't Massachusetts boast as great 
As any other sister State ? 
But where's the town, go far and near, 
That sells the rum as we do here ? 
Or where's the boy, but three feet high, 
That hates the traffic worse than I ? " — Selected. 

7. Pledge recited by the class in concert. 

8. Singing, " Dare to do Right." P. 76, Songs for 
Little Folks. 



Primary Class Concerts. 



191 



IV. CONCERT ON MISSIONS. 

1. Singing — " Do the children know of Jesus over 
there ? " P. 112, Songs for Little Folks. 

2. Bible reading by the teacher, illustrated by pictures 
of idols drawn on the blackboard. 

The following passages of Scripture may be read. 
Psa. cxv, 4-8; Jer. x, 1-5 ; Isa. xliv, 13-20. 

3. Bible Recitation by different pupils. Psa. xiv, 2 ; 
Rom. iii, 23 ; Rom. v, 8 ; 1 John ii, 2 ; 1 Tim. iv, 10 ; 
Matt, xviii, 18, 19. 

4. Singing, (by the whole school, primary class 
joining.) 

GO FORTH, CHRISTIAN!* 




11 II 

1. The Gospel has from heaven come : All by Jesus 1 love ; Inviting 




M 



wandering sin-ners home : All by Je-sus 1 love. 



Go forth, Christian, 



--*= 



■Jg—hLfr. He 



1 — i — i — r 



rtzrtz: 



I IS I 



m 



'mm 



T=l 



— i — i — 1 — 1- — i — \- 



go to all heathen lands, Till all king-doms learn of Je-sus' love. 




* The above chant is arranged from the Jubilee Singers' Chant, " Go down, 
Moses." The words are of course changed. This piece may be easily learned, 
and if sung with force and feeling will have a good effect. 



192 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

To India hasten with the word ; 

Tell of Jesus' love. 
Bid China's millions praise the Lord ; 

Tell of Jesus' love. — Chor. 

To Afric's sunny climes repair ; 

Tell of Jesus' love. 
Let Europe, too, its blessings share ; 

Tell of Jesus' love. — Chor. 

To western tribes the news proclaim ; 

Tell of Jesus' love. 
Let all the Islands hear his name ; 

Tell of Jesus' love.— Chor. 

And vyhen ye reach your homes on high. 

Sing of Jesus' love. 
Through all the mansions of the sky, 

Sing of Jesus' love. — Chor. 

5. Speech by a little boy. 

I think missionaries must have a pretty hard time, 
for they have to leave their dear friends to go to live 
among people who would like to eat them up, not be- 
cause they love them so much; I guess they must think 
a white man is pretty good eating. A missionary would 
not be quite to my taste ! 

All missionaries, however, are not white ; some are red 
or copper-colored. This kind have neither eyes nor ears, 
feet nor hands, and yet it is very remarkable how much 
they can do for the heathen. I have invited a great many 
of these to be present this evening as dumb orators. 
One hundred of them have reported, and they are now 
hiding their faces under my handkerchief. They will 
very soon sail for India or some other mission station. 
They would like to be joined by many more, because 



Primary Class Concerts. 193 

they are very small and each one can do only a little. I 
will now show you their faces and introduce them to 
you. [Lifts up the handkerchief, which has from the first 
been lying over a hundred pennies placed on a stand.] 
This [holding up one penny] is "One Cent; " here is 
another of the same name, and here is another and 
another. Here is one called " Two Cents." He can do 
just twice as much as " One Cent." Every body here 
is rich enough to send several of these missionaries, and 
when the contribution box is passed I confidently expect 
to see the company of one hundred swelled to a regi- 
ment. [The large words contained in the above speech 
are introduced to give a measure of amusing effect.] 
6. Recitation by a little girl. 

WHAT MAIDIE DID. 

" The box was all packed, and stood by the door ; 
It was going a journey the round world o'er. 
There was nothing to do but nail down the lid, 
Save this one little thing that our Maidie did. 

" Maidie sat on the door-step, Peg on her arm, 
Holding her tight and keeping her warm ; 
She was not very much of a doll, poor Peg ! 
With her head almost off, and only one leg. 

" She was all Maidie had, though, her dearest and best, 
Next to papa, and mamma, and all of the rest ; 
And now her poor brain was all in a whirl, 
At the thought that many a poor little girl 

" Where the big box was going had naught so good 
As queer little Peg ; and do what she would 
The question kept coming, " Ought Peggy to go 
In the box o'er the sea when she loved her so ? " 
13 



194 Open Letters to Primary Teachers, 

" She would roll up a rag doll, wouldn't that do ? 
Or she'd save all her pennies the whole year through 
To buy the nicest wax dolly all m th& 'French store ;' 
But then that couldn't go in the box by the door. 

" The sweetest — the bestesf , the minister said ; 
And softly she patted little Peggy's tow head, 
Kissed her poor faded lips, with a sob raised the lid, 

****** 
Can you guess for me now what our Maidie did?" 

— Selected. 

7. Singing, "I've thought of Little Children over 
There." P. 115, Songs for Little Folks. 

8. Recitations by five children in succession. 
First Child. Jesus sat over against the treasury, and 

beheld how the people cast money into the treasury : 
and many that were rich cast in much. Matt, xii, 41. 

Second Child. And there came a certain poor widow, 
and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 
Mark xii, 42. 

Third Child. And he called unto him his disciples, 
and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this 
poor widow bath cast more in, than all they which have 
cast into the treasury. Mark xii, 43. 

Fourth Child. For all they did cast in of their abun- 
dance ; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, 
even all her living. Mark xii, 44. 

Fifth Child. 

Two small mites have I to give, 
My small body in which I live ; 
And my soul that ought to pray, 
And live for Jesus every day. 



Primary Class Concerts. 195 

10. Collection taken, 

11. Singing. Mission Song. P. 11 1, Songs for Little 
Folks. 



V. CONCERT ON CHRISTMAS. 

1. Singing. " Silent Night." P. 123, Songs for Little 
Folks. 

2. Recitation by one pupil. Luke ii, 8-14. 

3. Singing. " Jesus is Born." P. 120, Songs for Lit- 
tle Folks. 

4. Recitation by one pupil. Matt, ii, 1, 2, 10, 11, 12. 

5. Recitation by eight pupils. 

First Scholar. " We, too, would an offering bring, 
Welcome and adore our king." 

Second Sc ho lar. " What can /give to Jesus 

W T ho gave himself for me ? 
How can I show my love to him 
Who died on Calvary !" 

7'hird Scholar. " I'll give my heart to Jesus, 

In childhood's tender spring ; 
I know that he will not despise 
So small an offering." 

Fourth Scholar. " I'll give my soul to Jesus, 
And calmly, gladly rest 
Its youthful hope and fond desires . 
Upon his loving breast." 

Fifth Scholar. " Fit give my mind to Jesus, 

And seek in thoughtful hours 
His Spirit's grace to consecrate 
Its early opening powers." 



196 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

Sixth Scholar. " I'll give -my strength to Jesus, 
Of foot and hand and will : 
Run where he sends, and ever strive 
His pleasure to fulfill." 

Seventh Scholar. " I'll give my time to Jesus : 
O that each hour might be 
Filled up with holy love for him 
Who spent his life for me ! " 

Eighth Scholar. " I'll give my wealth to Jesus, 
'Tis little I possess ; 
But all I am and all I have, 

Dear Lord, accept and bless." — Selected. 

6. Singing. " Little Lights." P. 93, Songs for Little 
Folks. 

7. Recitation. 

Boys. Why did the King of glory come, 
A baby in a stable-home ? 

Girls. In straw-lined manger was his birth, 
To live a life like ours on earth ; 

All. It was for me, for me. 

Boys. Why with such wisdom was he filled, 
Obeying all his parents willed ? 

Girls. He was so gentle, meek, and mild, 
To be a perfect, pattern child ; 

All. It was for me, for me. 

Boys. Why was his life so wondrous kind, 

Healing the sick, the lame, the blind? 

Girls. To show his love can enter in 

Sick souls, and cure disease of sin ; 

All. It was for me, for me. 



Primary Class Concerts. 197 

Boys. Why was he in the garden found 
In agony upon the ground ? 

Girls. Bearing God's wrath, the holy One, 

In anguish prayed, Thy will be done ; 

All. It was for me, for me. 

Boys. Why bore he all, that awful night, 

Betrayed, denied, friends fled in fright ? 

Girls. Submitting meekly, led along 

Bound, 'mid the shoutings of the throng ; 

All. It was for me, for me. 

Boys. Why bore he mockings, words of scorn, 
The crimson robe, the cruel thorn? 

Girls. Despised, rejected, smitten all 

While standing in the judgment-hall ; 

All. It was for me, for me. 

Boys. Why those nailed hands extended wide, 
As on the cross my Saviour died? 

Girls. Even the earth quaked as in fear, 

While Jesus hung, pierced with the spear, 

All. It was for me, for me. 

Boys. Why did he burst the grave's dark prison, 
While angels sang, The Lord is risen? 

Girls. Because his earthly work was done, 

To save the world God gave his Son ; 

All. That precious life-blood, shed for me, 

may I live for thee, for thee ! — Faith Latimer. 

8. Singing. " Christ was born in Bethlehem." P. 119, 
Songs for Little Folks. 



198 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 



VI. CONCERT ON HOW TO SPEND CHRISTMAS. 

1. Singing. Christmas Chant. P. 125, Songs for Lit- 
tle Folks. 

2. Recitation by the class in concert. Matt, ii, 1, 2, 
10, 11, 12. 

3. Singing. "Three Kings of Orient." P. 170, Songs 
for Little Folks. 

4. Recitation by one child. 

PROLOGUE. 

Kind friends and little classmates dear, 

Three ways you now will hear 

A Christmas-day to spend, 

If to the stories you'll attend. 

The first in selfish thought 

True joy and pleasure sought ; 

But ere the day in darkness closed 

To keen remorse she felt disposed. 

The second, too, will tell 

Of selfish sport as well : 

But by his story you will find 

To do some good he felt inclined. 

The third, with Christ-like joy 

Gave up her cherished toy, 

And on this happy Christmas-day 

Angels bright have watched her play. 

And when you've heard each story through, 

We'd like to know how't seems to you, 

Which is the best and happiest way 

To spend a merry Christmas-day? 

5. Recitation by a little girl. 

Bessie's Christmas. 

There's Nettie Earl and Jennie Brown, 
I see them walking up and down, 



Primary Class Concerts. 199 

Their dolls are wax 

With cutis like flax ; 
They walk, and talk, and shut their eyes, 
And -Nettie says, "she blieves her's cries.- ■ 

I wish I had a prettier doll, 
A little stove, a larger bail ; 

I'm tired of play 

And Christmas day ; 
Vm tired of caffidy, amts,, and cakes, 
Aaad 1 mf head, how hard it aches ! 

I thought Td he so glad to-day. 
And never want ta stop my piay. 

Nor say cross words. 

Nor angry grow. 
Nor make my mother look so sad ; 
I surely mast he very bad. 

6. Recitation by a little boy. 

HARRY'S CHRISTMAS. 

New boots, new whip, new bridle gay, 
And a pony black, I've had to-day ; 
My saddle, too, with stirrups bright, 
I'll tell you uow's a pretty sight. 

I thought I'd like the boys to know 
How I could make my pony go ; 
So up and down the village street 
We paced and trotted very fleet 

And as we passed a cottage low, 
All banked with leaves, and dirt, and snow, 
Pressed close against the window pane, 
I saw the face of Willie Lane. 

I know the tears were in his eye 
As he saw me ride so gayly by ; 
For he was poor, and sick, and lame, 
And few the joys to him that came. 



200 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

I drew my rein and shouted loud, 
Pulled off my cap and low I bowed, 
And as I saw his sad, sick look, 
I thought he'd like my new red book. 

And soon I brought the book to him, 
And then his face with joy did gleam ; 
But yet he feared to take the book, 
" Lest I should want sometimes to look." 

" I would not use the book," I said, 
" I'm sure by me 'twouLd not be read ; 
For boys with ponies do not care 
Much of their time for books to spare." 

7. Recitation by a little girl. 

MAGGIE'S CHRISTMAS. 

My little heart is full of glee ; 
I'm just as glad as I can be ; 
I have not had a book or ball, 
Nor tinkling bell, nor talking doll, 
Nor any kind of pretty toy, 
To make my heart thus full of joy. 

We're very poor, mamma and I, 
Our home is up the stairs so high ; 
We hear the city's noise and din 
As but an echo faint come in. 
Just next our room lives Kitty Lee, 
Who's weak, and small, and cannot see. 

I waited for this Christmas day, 
And counted hours that passed away ; 
I thought this day the happy time, 
When sure a dolly would be mine ; 
And oft I stopped, on my homewai'd way, 
To look at dolls in windows gay. 



Primary Class Concerts. 201 

And when the day was almost here, 
My mamma said to me, " My dear, 
Do you remember Kitty Lee, 
Who's weak, and small, and cannot see? 
Will you give up your cherished toy 
That poor blind Kitty may have joy ? " 

Now other girls could hardly see 
What joy a doll would be to me ; 
For through the long and weary day 
I had no toys to help me play ; 
She waited long ; how could I say . 
The words that took my joy away ? 

I thought of all that Jesus taught, 
And if to be like him I sought, 
I'd gladly yield my darling toy 
To give poor Kitty Christmas joy. 
Then I grew strong, and said the word ; 
With tearful eyes my mother heard. 

And when we went to Kitty's room, 
From out my heart had passed all gloom ; 
'Twas easy now my toy to give : 
I always want like Christ to live ! 
For sweeter far is this new joy 
Than any pretty Christmas toy. 

8. Recitation by the class in concert. 

THE DECISION. 

Since now these stories we have heard, 
We well remember Jesus' word : 
That he who would most blessed live, 
Should of his treasures freely give. 
The happiest child of all these three 
Is the little friend of Kitty Lee ; 
We think she chose the better way 
To spend a merry Christmas-day. 



202 Open Letters to Primary Teachers. 

9. Singing. "Give, said the Little Stream." P. 96, 
Songs for Little Folks. 

10. Bible Recitations. Matt, v, 16. Matt, vii, 12. 
Matt, vi, 19, 20. 2 Cor. ix, 7. 1. c. Acts xx, 35. 

11. Singing. "Up and Doing, Little Christian." 
P. 77, Songs for Little Folks, 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX. 



Age to enter Sunday-school, page 10. 

Almsgiving, 95. 

Allegory, 78. 

Attendance, how kept, 10, 12, 101. 

Attention, 38, 41, 70, 80. 

Anointing of Christ, 161. 

Baptism of Christ, 129. 

Benevolence, Christ's standard of, 151- 

Benevolence cultivated, 95. 

Bible, how to use it in the class, 37, 134, 

136, 138, 140, 153, 155, 157, 164, 167, 176. 
Bible stories, telling, 76. 
Bird parties, in. 
Birth of Christ, 126. 
Blackboard, use of, 23, 88, 94, 129, 132, 

136, 138, 141, 143, 144J150, i53i 160. 169- 
Blesses, what God, 91. 
Blind man healed, 84. 
Books for Primary Teachers, 20. 
Breaking the wills of children, 40. 

Calls on children, 13, 109. 
Catechism, 63, 66, 67. 
Characteristics of primary class, 15. 
Childhood, study of, 20. 
Children's Hour, in. 
Children's prayer-meeting, 120, 122. 
Chirping right, 33. 

morning prayers, 123. 
Christ, birth of, 126. 

baptism of, 129. 

the Law as given by, 133. 

his power ol the sea, 137. 

the mind, 142. 

and his parable of the sower, 147. 

the standard of benevolence estab- 
lished by, 151. 

and his parable of the withered fig- 
tree, 155. 

the anointing of, 161. 

the king, 166. 

on the cross, 170. 

the risen Lord, 174. 

blessing little children, 77. 
Christmas, 195. 

how to spend, 198. 
Collection, 95. 
Concerts, 179. 



Conversion of children, 117. 
Cross illustrated, 90. 
Curiosity developed, 47. 

David and Goliath, 92. 
Deaf mute healed, 84. 
Discipline of the class, 38, 40. 

Ebal and Gerizim illustrated, 91. 

Echoes, 113. 

Elisha and the pot of oil, 91. 

Exercises, order o[^ in various primary 

classes, 30. 
Eye, power of, in teaching, 35, 80. 

Feeding the multitude, 85. 
Fig-tree withered, 155. 
Freedom by the truth, 86. 

Gifts to pupils, 34. 
Gilgal, stones in, 84. 
Giving, 95. 

Giving hearts to God, 103. 
Grading classes, 10. 

Hates, what God, 91. 
Home and class, 113. 
Humility illustrated, 86. 

Illustration, the art of, 70. 

abused, 74. 

books on, 79. 
Instincts of childhood, 25. 
International Lesson in the Primary 

Class, 30, 32. 
Intuitional instruction, 74. 
Israelites 1 journey illustrated, 89. 

Jericho illustrated, 84. 
Jesus, our Shepherd, 179. 
Jewels, precious, 103. 
John, 18, 19, 33, 40, 166, 170. 
Joseph revealed to his brothers, 83. 

King, Jesus the, 166. 

Law as given by Christ, 133. 
Lesson in the primary class, 30. 
Light, Jesus the, 85. 
Lighting up the lesson, 71. 
Love of God illustrated, 85. 



204 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX. 



Mark II, 129. 

IV, 14, 23, 35, 41, 136, 147. 

XII, 41, 44, 151. 

XVI, i 74 . 
Matthew II, 126. 

XVIII, 1, 6, 142. 

XXI, 19, 21, 155. 

XXII, 36, 46, 133. 
XXVI, 6, 13, 161. 

Memorizing Scripture, 56, 71, 102. 
Mildness, 18. 
Mind of Christ, 142. 
Missionary collections, 99, 154. 
Missionary concert, 191. 
Morning prayer for children, 122. 
Motion songs, 105. 

Name of the class, 14. 

Names of children learned, 14, 108. 

Normal class for primary teachers, 18. 

Object Illustrations, 170, 142, 144, 146, 
147, 148, 149, 151, 152, 154, 156, 157, 
158, 160, 162, 163, 166, 170, 171, 173, 
174. 

Object teaching, 80. 

Oil of the widow's cruse, 91. 

Organization, 9. 

Passover illustrated, 90. 

Personal conversation on religion, 42, 

123. 
Pestalozzi, mottoes from, 42. 
Pictures, use of, 87, 126. 
Picturing by words, 77, 93. 
Pillar of fire, 82. 
Place for Primary Classes, 21. 
Power, Christ's, over the sea, 137. 
Prayer, concert on, 184. 
Prayer-meetings for children, 120, 122. 
Primary superintendent, duties in class, 

11. 
Programme, 24. 
Promises illustrated, 81. 



Qualities of primary superintendent, xi 

assistant teachers, 16. 
Questions, judicious, 52. 

injudicious, 50. 
Question books and papers, 34. 

Rainbow, 82, 89. 

Reading the lesson responsively, 67. 

Resurrection illustrated, 72. 

Risen Lord, 174. 

Rosary, the teacher's, 121. 

Ruth and Naomi illustrated, 92. 

Samuel illustrated, 84. 

Seats for primary class, 22. 

Securing assistant teachers, 12. 

Selecting teachers, 18. 

Singing, how to teach, 102. 

Social work of teachers, 108. 

Socrates as a teacher, 45. 

Spiritual application of the lesson, 121 

life, 79. 

work, 117. 
Stories, how used, 75, 127, 143, 185. 
Study of the Lesson, 19. 
Sub-classes in the Primary Department 

10. 
Symbols of the Ancient Church, 73. 
Sympathy, 33. 

Tabernacle illustrated, 82. 
Tardiness, how to correct, 38. 
Teachers' meetings, 19. 
Temperance, concert on, 188. 
Think, teaching children to, 30, 34. 
Training of primary teachers, 16. 

Understanding what is memorized, 58. 

Visiting pupils, 109. 
Visitors, 40, 113. 
Vivacity, 17. 
Voice, 39. 

" Waiting and watching for me," 125. 



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